Author: Lindsay Cayne
Magazine Editor-in-Chief: Yasmin Alameddine
For many Cornell students, summer internships are the first steps toward future careers. I had the pleasure of interviewing three Cornellians, who gained new skills in various career paths.
Courtney Sokol ’16
“I got so into these stories that sometimes it became very upsetting. I had to rely on teammates for comic relief.”
Courtney Sokol ’15 spent her summer entering the world of news and media at CNN in Atlanta, Georgia. From 5:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., she worked as a newsroom intern for Legal View, a show on legal issues that airs at 12:00 p.m.
She began her days checking emails. “I would generally have about 150 emails on news tips and different elements on a story,” Sokol said. She would then read various news sources looking for stories the show could cover. Sokol said she would “look for legal-related stories, such as an op-ed or class action lawsuit.”
After reading emails and searching the latest news articles, Sokol attended her team’s daily meeting, in which the “executive producer would skype-in with three people in New York and go through the run-down, which is the schedule of events for the show,” Sokol said. “The run-down would change about eight times every day because of breaking news.”
Starting at 8 a.m., Sokol spent hours gathering elements for the show (i.e. photographs and videos). She also created information sheets on topics to brief the anchor and wrote parts of scripts.
For her final hours in the office, Sokol scrambled with her team to complete the scripts before the show went on air. Once the show aired, Sokol would sit in the control room answering calls and working closely with the associate producer.
Although Sokol was the only intern for Legal View, there were seven other newsroom interns at CNN. The group worked hard in the office but made sure to have fun. She lived with three of the interns and went to parties on the weekends, dinners, gardens and aquariums.
Sokol loved her office team. “Everyone was smart and quick and they all made me feel comfortable. They were all great journalists who asked the right questions and developed the stories in an intricate way.” As much as Sokol enjoyed her time at CNN, she said that all the stories were very intense. “I got so into these stories that sometimes it became very upsetting. I had to rely on teammates for comic relief. It can be very hard and draining but also exhilarating, upbeat, and fast-paced.”
Sokol gained new insight into news during her time at CNN. She now has a “much better understanding of how news is produced,” according to Sokol. The internship also encouraged Sokol to share news with others at Cornell. “It’s nice to have been exposed to so many news stories, and I am not afraid of sharing them, so my friends can see news and stay more current with them. It is important to be informed as a student.”
As a member of the College of Industrial Labor and Relations, journalism seems to be a unique choice for Sokol. However, Sokol loves “reading and watching news. It is very important to me, and CNN was an interesting and fun way to spend the summer.” Further, Sokol hopes to always “stay involved in news,” and her dream is to be a legal analyst at a major news station.
Michael Ferrer ’16
“There is still a tremendous amount of social justice related work to be done and the resources really aren’t there.”
This summer, Michael Ferrer ’16 took part in the Urban Scholars Program. In this program, 15 students focused on solving urban issues and creating communities with non-profit and government agencies who help low-income children, families, and communities of New York City.
Within the program, Ferrer applied and was accepted to Generation Citizen, a “relatively new non-profit organization that provides a social action civics program for middle and high school students,” according to Ferrer. “It is an applied program that pairs local college volunteers with teachers in a variety of different classrooms, and it teaches their students how to act on an issue that is important in their community.” Some solutions to the issues include creating curriculums that range from supporting diversity to working against bullying or abuse brutality.
Ferrer had the task of working with his supervisor on a Community Change Fellowship (CCF). For CCF, Ferrer helped choose 16 students to be placed in different offices around New York City. He first did outreach to local community organizations and local offices and then accompanied students to the interviews. Students could then be successfully placed in fitting work environments for the summer. Additionally, CCF provided educational services, an orientation, and field trips. Ferrer was “responsible for developing and teaching workshops on a range of things from canvassing to professionalism in a workplace,” he said.
Ferrer learned how “there are myriad organizations working in NYC very intensely on important work on behalf of NYC residents,” said Ferrer. “Despite that fact, there is still a tremendous amount of social justice related work to be done and the resources really aren’t there.”
Ferrer is intrigued by the organization’s escalation plan to affect change in a community. He is in the College of Industrial Labor and Relations and feels that “ultimately this experience with schools, classrooms, and developing curriculum is helpful in understanding the context teachers are working in,” and will aid him in his plans to someday work with teachers’ unions.
Ferrer lived with the other Urban Scholars on 92nd street Y in New York City. He said he spent a lot of time with the other Cornellians, since every Friday they had a program day together in the fields or in a classroom environment, and they explored the city on the weekends.
Rachel Mitnik ’17
“It was really exciting working on the hill because everything was happening minute-to-minute, especially because we were in session.”
Rachel Mitnick ’17, spent her summer interning on Capitol Hill for California Senator Barbara Boxer. Her main task was to provide legislative and administrative support to the senator’s staff in her D.C. office.
Mitnick worked alongside five other interns in the office. “I was the youngest by a few years,” said Mitnick. “So there was a little bit of an age difference, but it worked out; we hung out after work and had lunch together.” One day, Mitnick and the other interns even had the chance to take a tour of the White House, Mitnick said.
While in the office, Mitnick enjoyed having a “behind-the-scenes look into Congress.” She continued, “It was really exciting working on the Hill because everything was happening minute-to-minute, especially because we were in session.” Mitnick described the office as “fast-paced” and the staff as “very smart and diligent.” Mitnick owes the “very supportive work environment” to the fact that “everyone works so closely with each other.”
Watching Congress from a different angle changed Mitnick’s perspective. “You see it on TV and read about it in the papers, but actually working with Congress on the Hill taught me about the intricacy of the legislative process, how complicated it can be to pass legislation and then actually implement those laws.” Her internship for Senator Boxer also taught her more about the broader “policies and issues” currently facing our country, such as healthcare. Her internship for Senator Boxer taught her “a lot about the legislative process,” as well as “policies and issues.”
Mitnick is in the College of Arts and Sciences at Cornell and plans on majoring in either government or history. The internship not only allowed her to get a glimpse into Congress’ intricate ways but also gave her the opportunity to talk with adults who majored in subjects she is interested in. “It was very helpful to talk with them because they have a lot of great advice on what they learned in college.” According to Mitnick, this experience “was really good for me to see what professional people in the field have actually done, what they majored in while in school, and how they used their majors.”
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The author can be reached at lindsay.cayne@www.slopemedia.org
Summer interns is not a regular column.
This is a topic that is near to my heart… Many thanks!
Where are your contact details though?