I’ve got to be honest with you, dear reader: I used to dread the communication science internship. So much so that I waited for my final semester to complete it. Methods courses, electives, lab credits, graduation project: all done. Only one thing left, and no more time to postpone it… So here I was, trapped and clueless. I had no contacts in the Netherlands, no one to vouch for me or take me under their wing. All the communication-related ads I could find seemed to offer the same type of positions: “Online Community Manager” here, “Digital Content Producer” there… As someone who had zero interest in social media or marketing, I knew that finding a right fit would be a challenge.
At this point, I was starting to doubt that communication science was the right degree for me, and whether it could successfully lead me down a career path I could actually see myself follow. I tried to remind myself of the reasons that had made me join this program in the first place: majoring in persuasive communication, my ambition had always been to create compelling campaigns for social causes, be it in the name of an NGO or public health. Now, doesn’t that sound like a lead already?!
I therefore started looking into the non-profit sector: I didn’t find much, perhaps five vacancies on Linkedin… So I decided it was time to expand my horizons: if the places I am interested in are not looking for me, I will come to them.
I sent out a few open applications, and, spoiler alert, it worked! The Chief Diversity Officer of the UvA, who had never had an intern before, was more than eager to give me a chance. The Chief Diversity Office – or CDO for short, is the team who works on improving diversity, inclusion and social safety at the university. Its role is to advise the executive board on policy and lead various initiatives to make the UvA a safer and more welcoming place for all. Some of the work they do includes, for example: implicit biases workshops, mentorship programs for students who come from a immigrant background, or else support groups for victims of sexual violence… As an intern there, I got to assist the team in their ongoing projects and help them out with their internal and external communication. I produced content for the blog and newsletter and worked on a strategy to improve their visibility for the UvA community. My three months in the team were extremely valuable: I learned a lot about how diversity work operates in a big institution like the UvA and got to experience a work environment where I felt that my position and opinion were valued.
This was for me the perfect way to reconcile what I have learned to do (that is to say, to use my knowledge in communication science) with what I want to do – contribute to social justice. You might be in a similar situation, where you are not sure how to combine your communication science background with some other interests you would like to explore. I would say that the internship is the ideal opportunity for that. Be bold, and do not hesitate to reach out to a company or service that catches your attention, even if its connection to communication science doesn’t seem obvious at first. You might be surprised to find exactly what you were looking for!
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