Summer internships help Rowan students gain experience, make connections

Many Rowan University students who aren't taking classes this summer are still gaining valuable knowledge by working in interesting internships.

According to Ruben Britt, assistant director of the Career and Academic Planning (CAP) Center at Rowan, completing a summer internship is a valuable resume- and character-building endeavor for college students.

"Having a summer internship gives students a chance to concentrate on work full time," says Britt. "It gives students a chance to feel part of an organization. And it provides them with an understanding of the importance of professionalism in the workplace."

Here are some internships currently being completed by Rowan students:

Tina Yangello, a senior radio/television/film (RTF) major from Pennsville, is pursuing a career in television and is getting a nuts-and-bolts feel for the industry through her internship as a production assistant at CN8 (The Comcast Network), which is seen in over 9 million homes from Maine to West Virginia.

Since starting her internship at the end of May, Yangello has assisted on both the "Your Morning" and "Art Fennell Reports" programs. Her first two weeks, she was in charge of the teleprompter for both live programs.

"I was in charge of keeping the script going at just the right pace for the talent. It was exciting, but scary," she says.

In recent weeks, her duties have been diversified and have included helping with floor direction, working in the control room, and assisting Janet Zappala to develop a segment on cardio line dancing. Yangello works regularly with Zappala, Fennell and meteorologist Justin Lock. Her CN8 experience has led her to even consider a career as a weather forecaster.

"Everyone here has been a huge help in shaping my views on the television industry," she says. "They have all given me a little insight about how to pursue a career in this field."

Rocco Aquino, a senior management and human resource management major who aspires to work in professional sports, traveled clear across the country to Seattle in order to gain real-world business experience.

Aquino, a Mount Ephraim resident, is serving his internship as an assistant business manager for Mass Electric Construction Company, a subsidiary of Kiewit, one of the largest contractors in North America. The company is building a light rail transportation system in Seattle linking the airport to downtown.

Aquino's paid internship, which includes lodging and travel reimbursements, has provided him with experience in payroll, management, invoicing and other business practices.

He also has learned about the type of business professional he would like to become.

"From the start, I felt like I was part of the team. I could feel that the company did not treat interns in the stereotypical way," says Aquino, who graduated from Highland High School in Blackwood.

"My participation in a project so important to so many people really makes the work itself fulfilling. And Kiewit and Mass Electric appreciate their employees and reward them for their hard work."

Aquino secured the internship through a Rowan career fair, where, armed with a stack of resumes, he waded through 160 employers before landing an interview with Mass Electric.

Jessica Hyndman of Sicklerville, a junior RTF major and journalism minor, is working in New York City's Times Square this summer through a 10-week internship with MTV Networks. Hyndman is in the production department of Logo Online, the company's web presence which promotes its gay and lesbian channel.

Among many other duties, Hyndman has written for Logo's TripOUT travel section and for 365gay.com, converted show tapes to web format, gone on video shoots and served as the videographer for a weekly video blog.

"Soon I will learn the editing process. They use Adobe Premier CS3-the same as Rowan uses," says Hyndman, who recently met Rowan RTF alumna Melissa Venditti, an associate producer at MTV.com

"It's great working right on Broadway in Times Square," continues Hyndman. "Logo is only a few years old, so it's a pretty small operation in which ‘everyone does everything.' I am building bonds with a lot of great people here, and I hope those bonds will help me when I start my career after Rowan."

Brendan Hillis, 20, of Chicago, is putting his Rowan Engineering education into practice this summer during a Lockheed Martin Transportation and Security Solutions internship. Hillis, a rising junior electrical and computer engineering major, is working on a high-altitude air traffic control program for the FAA in Pomona, primarily maintaining accurate databases for problem reports and web design.

"I am really enjoying myself, learning new things and building great contacts for the future. I would recommend internships for any major," Hillis said of his first internship. "Working for Lockheed Martin at the FAA test facility is quite an experience. Not every day do you leave for lunch and watch an F-15 or the Coast Guard helicopters fly over your car."