On Thursday, February 20, MAWRD students Karla Avila and Megan Palmer each gave presentations to share what they learned and accomplished during their Autumn Quarter internships. During the presentations, Karla and Megan described their experiences and recounted some of the projects they completed during their internships.
Karla and Megan both earned course credit for their internships through WRD 590: Internship in Professional and Digital Writing. Students who take WRD 590 or WRD 591 (Internship in Teaching Writing and Language) while working as interns can earn credit toward their degree and receive structured support from faculty as they reflect on their developing knowledge and skills.
Karla Avila: Brooklyn Boulders Chicago
Karla interned at Brooklyn Boulders Chicago, a rock climbing gym in the West Loop. She worked closely with the Events Coordinator of the Chicago location and the Art Director of the company. With a focus on content writing and strategy, Karla created youth newsletters, promotional social media posts, and blog posts. During her internship, Karla launched the “Climbing 101” blog series, written for an audience of first-time and beginning climbers. Some of her multimedia posts featured videos and photos to help show readers new climbing techniques.
The internship provided Karla with an opportunity to gain skills in strategically planning and scheduling content across several social media platforms. She also had the opportunity to collaborate with multiple departments to craft a consistent voice for the organization. As a content writer, she honed her ability to write with authority and expertise.
Megan Palmer: WRD 372: Digital Storytelling
Megan interned with WRD 372: Digital Storytelling, a course taught by Dr. Lisa Dush. In this class, students worked with nonprofit partner Marillac St. Vincent’s Family Services to help clients create their own digital stories. Meg created resource documents for technology, provided technical support for students, ran a story circle, and documented the progression of the course.
As part of her work, Meg developed digital storytelling resources and instructional documents for future WRD 372 students. Some of her documents include instructions for how to record voiceovers and an explanation of the digital storytelling process. She also gathered a comprehensive list of university resources that DePaul students can use to create digital stories.
In her multifaceted role as a facilitator, a resource, and even a post-producer who helped finalize students’ projects, Meg had the opportunity to work closely with Dr. Dush, students, and community partners. At the end of the quarter, Meg compiled the digital stories into a Medium post called My Chicago Story to share the class’s work.
Are you interested in completing an internship during your time as a MAWRD student? Connect with your WRD advisor or MAWRD Director Jason Kalin for more information.