#fiuinternships

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FIU’s Christina LaRocca Interns in Paris

FIU student Christina LaRocca has started her internship in Paris, France at the U.S. Mission to the Organization on Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). She has had in-depth discussions with the Department of State’s Chief Economist, Dr. Rodney Ludema, who was visiting the U.S. Mission. Christina was able to participate in the unpaid internship due to the help of a grant from Dr. Edward Glab, co-director of FIU’s Global Energy Forum.

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FIU in DC: My Experience So Far

My time interning in DC has been everything I expected and then some. From the moment I got here, I noticed the change of culture relative to Miami's. I arrived here expecting to learn about the inner workings of government and get hands on experience within the legislative process on and off Capitol Hill. Both FIU and CHCI have made this experience so much more fruitful as I have had access to events and recepttions I would have never heard about had I not had these two resources at my disposal.

On my first week in DC, I was able to attend the Inaugural Hispanic Lobbyists Association Avanza Awards, where they recognized and honored the contribution Latinos bring to overall society, but especially the advances in representation that they have made on the Hill. I attended the awards ceremony and reception as FIU’s guest and was able to meet several Latinos who work hard to advance Hispanic issues in society so that students like me can have the opportunities to come to DC and have this amazing eye opening experience. At that awards ceremony, I was able to meet Congresswoman Iliana Ros-Lehtinen along with a Senator from Illinois who turned out to be one of the drafters of the original Dream Act that was written a decade ago. Before this summer started I never thought I would be a guest to an awards ceremony sitting next to two Politicians who have been working for years within congress towards positive change for the Hispanic community.

Another great highlight of my time here in Washington was having the honor of being invited to the White House for the DACA Champions of Change Event. This event invited many DACA recipients to have a discussion with heads of departments, and highlighted ten DACA recipients that have had a major impact on their communities thanks to the privileges that DACA grants. It was great being in a building surrounded by other DACA recipients and seeing with my own eyes not only how far I’ve gotten since DACA was passed two years ago, but also the stories of the other DACA-recipients and the positive changes they are making in their individual communities through different mediums. FIU also extended the invitation to this event to my twin brother Esteban so that he could to partake in this event and experience the opportunities that Washington, DC has to offer.

All in all, the FIU in DC team has done a great job in granting us FIU students interning in DC access to many events going on in the area, and the opportunity to really take advantage of our time here. I am now halfway through my internship and I’m really looking forward for what the other half has in store.

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My Last Day- Simone G.

As the semester comes to a close, so does my internship with the Office of Engagement, sadly. Being here has allowed me to grow so much as a writer. Amy, my supervisor, has been unbelievably helpful during this semester when it came to sharing her knowledge in writing. My leads (the first sentence or paragraph in a story) and the content within my stories have drastically improved since I've been an intern here. For example, I was used to crafting my leads in a way that was very clear and straightforward. However, I've learned here that leads don't always have to  be that way. They can be more engaging which can include having anecdotes, for example.

Also, when I began my internship, I had a tendency to be very wordy without having a clear cut purpose. Now, I'm familiar with answering the Who, What, Where, When, and How questions which are crucial for news articles. By answering these questions preferably in the beginning of an article, readers are not reading aimlessly.

In addition to my growth as a writer, being at the Office of Engagement has introduced me to great co-workers and awesome supervisors! Since day one, I've felt accepted and there's never a dull moment here (we still get work done).

Saying goodbye to everyone on Friday was very sad for me because I've learned and grown so much, it's unbelievable. I hope I've made the same or a similar impact on my colleagues as they've made on me.

Farewell, Engagement!

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Interning With The Office Of Engagement: What Has It Been Like?

By Simone Garvey-Ewan

Where do I start?! With spring break here and midterms completed, the mid-semester mark is here! Where did the time go?

It seems as if it just vanishes, especially when you're having a great time. With the Office of Engagement, I've been having a terrific time doing what I enjoy, learning more about writing from Amy Ellis and conducting myself in a professional manner from Amy and my co-workers.

For the time that I've spent here so far, I've been working on a story with Amy and a Kaleena Salgueiro's help. I've also attended two news huddles that take place on Mondays. They're so interesting because not only do I get to be around fellow journalists, but I also get to know what goes on in the FIU community in addition to my frequent reading of The Beacon/FIU News. This has to be one of the things I love the most about interning here.

With the current story that I am crafting, Amy's tips have been coming in handy. I'm learning how to be more engaging with my writing and how to seek key interviewees that will make my story worth reading. Basically, I'm figuring out how to put "meat on the bones" of my story. 

Though I've been here for such a short time and have lots more learning to do, I still feel as if the Office of Engagement has exposed me to a real life work experience. Having to be punctual, wear business casual garb, managing time, and being productive are a few things that I'm sure will be essential in my future career.

Basically, I just feel honored to be a part of a department filled with driven individuals who are so passionate about the community and the future generation arising from these communities. Being here weekly, I witness this drive for myself and it's truly amazing (:

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Summer Stories- Ryobi Intern

Intern for TTi a leader in powertool MFG. Among the 1st interns hired from across the nation. #FIUInternships #Ryobi pic.twitter.com/RxUn6l7OVm

— Pedro M Guillen (@pedroasst) July 10, 2013

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Panther @ the CW Network!

@FIU I am! Sun Sentinel specifically SFL aka the CW Network. I started yesterday 🎉🎥🎬 #FIUInternships1stDay pic.twitter.com/sHjognlXFa

— Giselle Cancio (@_gisellemarie) January 7, 2014

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Internships propel FIU grad to NASA

At 26, FIU alumnus Rigoberto Roche has reached a level of scientific success that many recent graduates can only imagine.

During his internship with NASA, Rigoberto Roche helped provide the data relayed between orbiting satellites and ground stations. He is now working at NASA fulltime through a one-year Pathways Program at the John H. Glenn Research Center in Ohio.

His work with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) includes writing complex code for the International Space Station, as well as monitoring telecommunication satellites that serve missions such as the Hubble Space Telescope.

A 2011 graduate with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biomedical engineering, Roche is a participant in the Pathways Program at NASA’s John H. Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio. After completing the one-year program, Roche will begin a fulltime position with NASA in 2014.

“I give thanks every day for having been given the opportunity to work with so many bright minds in one place,’’ said Roche, a Cuban immigrant who came to the United States with his mother in 2002. “I didn’t speak English or know how to turn on a computer. Now I write code for one of the most advanced computers in the world, orbiting the earth. Every day I’m doing this is truly a dream come true for me.’’

“To know that a small part of that payload has something I worked on inside, it’s honestly the most rewarding experience I could ever feel,’’ Roche said.

The road to success for Roche was far from an easy one.

Driven, motivated and disciplined, Roche overcame his physical challenges and earned two internship stints at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD, one of five out of nearly 50 applicants accepted.

NASA intern Rigoberto Roche met President Mark B. Rosenberg during a breakfast to honor federal agency interns in Washington, D.C.

“The key quality that I saw in him was his level of commitment,” said Fernando Miralles-Wilhelm, an associate professor in the department of civil and environmental engineering at FIU. “We had a limited number of sponsored spots from FIU. Rigo was part of the first class of interns that we sent out.”

During his first stint at Goddard, Roche was assigned to develop a tool to allow scientists to measure the rainfall variability of a satellite.

Later, at the request of Goddard scientists, Roche returned for a second internship to continue his work.

“They had five years of data and I had to create a tool that sorted the information,” Roche explained. “They needed someone to write software so they could manage the large database that they had.”

His mentor at Goddard was Ali Tokay, an expert on instruments that measure different levels of rainfall. Tokay assisted Roche on the theoretical aspects of the project.

“He was the science person and I was the engineering person,” said Roche, who presented his work at an American Meteorological Society (AMS) conference in January 2013 and will be published in the organization’s journal next year. “He knew the theory behind how we needed to analyze it and I knew the coding side.”

Roche will complete his first six-month rotation at NASA Glenn in December and plans to return to FIU to complete his second master’s degree in electrical engineering by August 2014. After that, he will return to NASA Glenn to complete his second six-month rotation.

“It was very impressive how he was able to step from one internship to another and then to a job offer,” Miralles-Wilhelm said.

Roche gives credit to Miralles-Wilhelm for being his mentor during his time at FIU and for his internship experience, which helped him get the fulltime position at NASA.

“Because of him, I am here,” Roche said. “He was supportive in every way, not only from intellectual support but for moral and physical support. Because of him, I was able to go to Goddard twice. Goddard opened the door for me to get my full-time position here.”

– Malcolm Shields

Original article written by Malcolm Shields for FIU News- Internships propel FIU grad to NASA

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Office of Engagement intern blog: The end of the semester and an internship

By Malcolm Shields

It’s December and it’s that time of year. We are in the middle of the holiday season. With the semester coming to an end, finals week is next week and for me, my time as an intern with the Office of Engagement and as a student at FIU is coming to an end.

  First, I want to say thanks to the entire staff at the Office of Engagement for being such a great group to work with.

  The work that this office is providing for the university and to our community is remarkable. I am proud to have played a small role in documenting what this office does for our community.

  I want to give a special thanks to my supervisor during this internship Amy Ellis for being a great mentor. Even though my name appears as the author of the stories that were published on FIU News, the editing process to arrive at the finished product is a team effort between the both of us.

  Her knowledge and suggestions in the editing process were invaluable. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to learn from you as an intern.

  I want to thank everyone at FIU and within the local community that gave of their time to allow me to interview them.

  This internship has given me a passion about education reporting that I did not know I had.

  From a young journalist perspective, the suggestion that I would give to journalist looking to enter this field is to take advantage of as many internships as possible. In this business, most media outlets do not care about your grade point average.

  What they care about is how good of a writer are you, how many skills do you have (i.e. writing, interviewing, photography, video production) how fast and productive are you and has your work been published.

  Employers from media outlets want potential employees to have as much real-world experience as possible.

  FIU has many outlets for journalism students to gain that experience with The Beacon, South Florida News Service and internship opportunities with most of the local media outlets in South Florida.

  The one thing I would tell interns to do is to treat your internship like a full-time job because you never know who is watching how you work and who might recommend you for a job.

  The latest article that was publish was a long-awaited article on Fostering Panther Pride, FIU’s new initiative to assist homeless and former foster care students enrolled at FIU. You can read more about it here. Two other student internship profiles, one on a FIU alum and another on a senior at FIU, are in the works. Look out for those on FIU News.

  Malcolm Shields is the journalism intern with the Office of Engagement at FIU for the Fall 2013 semester. Malcolm will be blogging about his experience as an intern during the semester.

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Internship portal provides students the first step toward employment

FIU Student Body President Liane Sippin knows the value of an internship firsthand.

As a senior majoring in communication arts, Sippin interned with the FIU Alumni Association, where she worked with various alumni chapters on events and with the Cassandra Martino PR firm.

“Internships, in general, are about trying to figure out what you want to do in your field or what field you want to be involved in,” Sippin said. “It really helps you understand what you are getting yourself into after you graduate.”

Fifteen FIU students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) participated in internships at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center this summer, through an initiative led by FIU’s Applied Research Center. (ARC).

In today’s competitive job market, relying on a college degree and good grades may not be enough to secure a job right out of college. Internships have become the gateway for students to gain real-world experience and display their talents directly to prospective employers.

To help more students have a chance at an internship experience, FIU and the Student Government Association (SGA) recently partnered to launch an online internship portal, at internships.fiu.edu.

“The internship portal will be a vital tool for FIU students to find out about internships, as well as for employers to identify potential interns at FIU,” said Irma Becerra-Fernandez, vice president for engagement at FIU. “We hope the internship portal will be the first step in leading students to attaining quality jobs upon graduation.”

The idea for the portal came from an identified need for students and employers to access internship information in one central location. Many students and employers did not know where to start in searching for an internship or setting up an intern program, Sippin said.

“We wanted to create an easier way for students and employers to find out information about internships,” Sippin said.

During construction of the portal, student suggestions were taken into consideration in terms of what appeared on the site. Two focus groups were used to determine what features students wanted most and emails were sent to students and faculty to request feedback prior to the site’s launch.

Divided into three categories – Learn, Find and Succeed – the internship portal provides an easy-to-use structure of information for students and companies.

The portal includes links to Career Services, as well as department or major-specific internship listings, off-campus organization internships and multimedia accounts of internship success stories.

There is also a new internships Tumblr account where students are encouraged to post stories and photos of their own internship experience.

An employer section of the site provides information for companies looking for interns, as well as tips for structuring their programs around student schedules. Employers can also post internship opportunities directly on the Career Services job site Panther JOBlink.

With plans to obtain another internship before she graduates, Sippin said she hopes all students will use the portal to seek out internship opportunities.

“I want students to see that internships are going to be useful and beneficial to them in the future,” Sippin said. “They will become more competitive in the workforce.”

For more information on internships, visit internships.fiu.edu or contact the Office of Engagement at engage@fiu.edu or (305) 348-7752.

Original article written by Malcolm Shields for FIU News- Internship portal provides students the first step toward employment

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FIU Interns from Mayor's Executive Internship Program spending some time with the Mayor

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Post by Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez.

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Office of Engagement intern blog: It's all about time management

By Malcolm Shields

With my second month as an intern at the Office of Engagement wrapping up, the level of tension is slowly rising.

Trying to juggle a class schedule, studying, coordinating a capstone senior project in my journalism class, driving in South Florida traffic, which is always an adventure, and a internship is a strain, but manageable.

I just figure that this just mirrors the real world where as a journalist or any business professional, you have to juggle multiple tasks and complete them on time.

It’s all about time management.

Man. Being an adult stinks….

OK, enough of me using the Tumblr as a crying towel.

As for my work as an intern, I have worked on a few stories. The story that I am looking forward to completing is a new program that began this semester where FIU is providing assistance to students who are homeless or are former foster care youth.

Fostering Panther Pride will provide homeless and former foster care students resources and support to help guide them through their college careers.

Look out for that story at news.fiu.edu.

One of the stories that I completed was a feature on Dr. Joyce Fine, who was recognized by the FIU Faculty Senate with the Community Engagement award for her work to improve literacy at North Miami Senior High School.

 Photo: Dr. Joyce Fine (bottom right) was recognized by the Faculty Senate for her work to improve adolescent literacy at North Miami Senior High School with the Reading Scene program.

Dr. Fine’s literacy workshop, The Reading Scene has assisted hundreds of students at North Miami High and given FIU master’s degree candidates in reading education the opportunity to work with students. You can read more about her story here.

  Malcolm Shields is the journalism intern with the Office of Engagement at FIU for the Fall 2013 semester. Malcolm will be blogging about his experience as an intern during the semester.

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FIUdc Intern with Innagural Poet & FIU Alum Richard Blanco

our all star @fiudc intern Javier Hdz shared @rblancopoet @fiualumni Pavon pangs , great hisp celebracion pic.twitter.com/kN9leiQli5

— FIUdc (@FIUdc) September 19, 2013

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FIU DC Summer Internship Experience: Class of 2013

great class of 2013 @fiu in DC Summer Internship Experience and @fiualumni mentors @fiugov @FIUEngagement @FIUcareer pic.twitter.com/y6Ecde1TbW

— FIUdc (@FIUdc)

June 5, 2013

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FIU Center for Labor and Research Student Internships

The Labor Center offers two different internship tracks: RESEARCH or SERVICE LEARNING. Each track offers interns the opportunity to explore career options while obtaining hands-on experience. Interns develop applied social science research skills, applied conflict resolutions skills, or applied adult education skills and work with community organizations to build professional networks that enhance not only employability but also qualifications for admission into graduate and professional schools.