Spring and summer internships on the horizon for Temple students
WRITTEN BY: TONY PEARSON
With mountains of snow outside following one of the largest snowstorms in Philadelphia’s history, it can be easy to forget that spring is right around the corner, with summer not far behind it.
As Temple University dives into its second semester of the academic year, now is the time for many of its students to begin looking for internships. It is in the spirit of this “internship season” that the Temple Honors Program organized an internship fair for merit scholars last Wednesday.
Temple takes internships seriously and for good reason: according to a survey of over 7,300 students and 300 professionals in late 2012 by Internships.com, internships are more important than ever, giving interns a 7 in 10 chance of being hired by the company they interned with.
In addition to being great for experience, internships are consistently great opportunities to network and get one’s foot in the door at a company. This trend benefits employers as well, giving them an opportunity to interview and “test drive” entry-level employees as interns before hiring them.
With all this in mind, it is no wonder that Temple’s internship fair attracted 35 organizations (a list of which can be found here).
The Philadelphia Zoo – one of the many Philadelphia organizations present at the fair – was represented by Danielle Quaglia, who presented opportunities for a variety of majors including animal care internships, animal behavior internships, environmental education, public education, event planning, and more.
Quaglia’s point is clear: every organization has internships for a variety of majors. All a student has to do is look and apply. In fact, as early in the season as it is, many students at Temple have already found internship opportunities.
Alyssa Jerome, a junior transfer student at Temple’s School of Media and Communication, was recently the recipient of an internship at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), where she now works with studios for the hospital’s closed circuit network. A media student in an environment generally reserved for medical students, she has only good things to say about the experience.
“I like it because it’s a really fun outlet for the kids during their stay for the hospital,” Jerome said. “Especially the in-patients or those who have to stay for long periods of time due to illness. The programs are interactive and the entertaining songs are great therapy as well. I got it by applying through email to the media program manager.”
In the end, the message about internships is clear: they’re important, they’re fun, and they can be the start to a great career. Internships are a crucial part of the education and job-finding process for undergraduates and graduates alike. It is for this reason that many majors at Temple require internships and fairs such as the one on Wednesday place such an emphasis on their importance.
