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Internships

Real-world experience broadens horizons and provides a practical path to transform dreams into reality.

A USD education opens up the world to our students.

Throughout their time on campus, USD students gain practical knowledge that propels them on the career path that's right for them. Data from the 2018–19 graduating class shows that 94% of respondents participated in at least one experiential learning activity. Over half of them participated in four or more.

Although traditional internships are one way to pack great value into a summer time frame, there are many other ways for students to gain the hands-on experience that prepares them for post-graduation life.

Experiential learning activities occur as part of research studies during each semester on campus. Full-time community service during intersession breaks or while diving into unique internship experiences across the globe during the summer adds to the process of discovery. Students are empowered to hone the skills they've learned within the classroom as they work day-to-day inside industries they're interested in.

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Main - All Undergrad

Oregon Public Broadcasting

Celina Tebor

Political Science and Communication Studies

"During my internship at Oregon Public Broadcasting, I truly enjoyed learning about the behind-the-scenes process of producing a radio segment. I have been an OPB listener for years, but never really thought deeply about the process behind the shows. However, now I understand that the 10-minute segment that I would have forgotten about a couple days later if I was a listener might have taken hours of research, interviewing and writing to produce. It's very easy to look at an end-product and take it for granted, which is what I did for years as an OPB listener. The process is an undeniable aspect of the final product. Seeing this firsthand at my internship, I now take much more consideration when I develop a story or segment, rather than just focusing on the end product."

Outside the Lens

Tobenna Okunna

Computer Science

"This summer, my main focus at Outside the Lens has been building a corporate app. The purpose of the app is to provide a platform for photographers to find clients through Outside the Lens. Building this app has taught me a lot this summer. This is the first major app that I have worked on, forcing me to consult my peers and other resources to gain the skills necessary to make this app, namely programing in the SWIFT language, utilizing industry standard design tools such as InVision, and implementing a backend solution that is both cost effective and scalable. Moreover, I taught one-week summer camp in mid-July for elementary school-age children that I prepared for all summer. The camp centered around teaching kids the foundations of coding. This camp will be the first time that I have taught in a professional setting. As such, I have been meeting with my peers at Outside the Lens to develop lesson plans and make sure what I am trying to accomplish in each camp day is clear and reasonable."

Guy Healy, Japan

Bethany Harris

History

"This summer, I've learned how to be an effective leader and manage large groups of children. Part of working with kids is being patient but also encouraging. During my sessions both in classrooms and at English camps, I worked as a motivator and English conversation partner. I did my best to engage students in topics they were interested in and to build a relationship, so that they had a positive experience and memory of English language learning. At the end of the camp, I was surprised with a special note each student had handwritten thanking me for everything, and how they hope to continue learning English in the future to speak with more types of people. Moments like this give me reassurance that this is something I want to continue doing in the future."

Willamette Week

Kaia Hubbard

Psychology and English

"Through my internship with Willamette Week, I've had the opportunity to work side-by-side with real journalists in the field, and to learn valuable writing and editing skills in the process. I was previously unsure if journalism would be a good fit for me, but through my internship, I was able to imagine what it would be like to go into an office each day with an outlook for stories and inspiration to serve a community through accurate and interesting reporting. This internship has influenced my post-graduation plans by assuring me that I have the skills necessary to work in a newsroom on a professional basis, and helping to improve my confidence in getting a job come next May. Finally, I have gained meaningful connections through this internship that will serve me will throughout the course of my developing career."