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Internship Spotlight – Brenna Kiefner ’22

Name:  Brenna Kiefnergirl posing on steps outside

Major: Communication Studies

Track: Digital Filmmaking and Television

Graduation Year: 2022

On-Campus Involvement: Alpha Xi Delta, Student Multimedia Council, TCNJam

When and where did you intern: I interned at 94.5 PST during the summer of 2020.

 

What drew you into Communication Studies?

Growing up, I was always in front of the camera or on stage and knew it was something I was comfortable with. Coming into college, I wanted to continue this so I went in with the mindset of becoming a Broadcast/Multimedia journalist. With the small class sizes and classes specific to what I wanted to study, I knew TCNJ was the perfect place to begin my Communication Studies journey.

Describe your internship and your role:

I interned under Kayla Thomas, who hosts the night show at 94.5 PST. I would write blogs for the 94.5 website and show recaps for the Popcrush website. In the middle of my internship, Popcrush offered me to become a writer for the remainder of my internship so I could write my own stories and let my creativity flow easily. Along with writing, I would help interview celebrities such as Katy Perry, Powfu, and more. Finally, I would write segments for the show that Thomas and I would talk about together. We would talk about going back to college, birthdays, psychic readings, and more.

What is your best memory from your internship?

The best memory from my internship was the segment I did for my sister’s 22nd birthday. I was interning the night of her birthday and wanted to give my older sister a shoutout on the radio in some way. So, I made the entire segment about birthdays during a pandemic. Kayla and I talked about activities and places people could go in the Philadelphia/New York areas to safely enjoy their birthday with people they love during a pandemic.

What is one skill that you improved upon while at your internship?

One skill I improved on was my writing. I had to take articles that were over 500 words and make it 3-5 sentences. At the beginning, I struggled a lot with this, but having corrections made and encouragement throughout made writing them so much easier.

How did Communication Studies help prepare you for your internship?

The Communication Studies program helped me a lot to prepare for my internship. I understood the production of radio, what listeners want to hear, and what makes a story memorable. I also used my creativity to it’s maximum which I learned in a lot of my RTF and production classes.

Do you have any advice for students looking to apply for internships?

Chose something about you that stands out and makes you different from other applicants. Don’t be afraid to email someone and ask if they are hiring, worst case scenario, they say no. Apply for as many as you can and make yourself unique!

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