INTERNSHIP STORIES

My name is Akanksha Patel and I am a Sophomore Photography major. During the Summer of 2013, I was a Wildlife and Adventure Photography intern for Africa Media, a company based in Mossel Bay, South Africa. I had always wanted to do photograph wildlife in Africa. It was a dream from my childhood when I used to watch wildlife shows on television. This summer I got the time and opportunity to make it happen. Shortly after my Christmas break when I returned back to college, just out of the blue one day I typed “Wildlife Photography Internships” into the search engine and voila! And that is how it was the beginning of my adventurous summer in South Africa. Quite a few links popped up and after researching thoroughly, the Africa Media program was not only the most interesting but close to what I had been dreaming of. Taking this instantly as an opportunity to pursue further, I contacted them immediately to give me more information on how I could apply for...

This summer 2013 I worked at a design firm in Colombia. A friend of my mother mentioned that she knew of a design firm that did very well gave me their website. I got in contact with the director Jorge Zambrano, I sent him my portfolio and resume and I was accepted to intern. It was very important for me that I intern in another country in a different language so that I could apply everything I’ve learned at MICA in a completley different setting. Surreal is a design firm in Bogota that focuses on branding, spacial design, web, and everything in between. At first it was difficult to get used to, as I have never been formally educated in graphic design in Spanish. However just a few days in I started adjusting to the terminologies and client interactions. I worked everyday from 9-6 and during my stay I met several clients, some of which came to the office and others which my director and I went to visit. From day one I definatly felt like part of the team and I was introd...

My name is Virginia Yu. I’m a senior environmental design major with a graphic design concentration. During the summer before my senior year, I interned at Seidenfaden Design Copenhagen. It all started when I left in January 2013 to study abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark. After a month of living in Denmark, I fell in love with the country and I knew I wanted to extend my stay. That’s when the idea of an internship came to mind. The school I studied at was the Danish Institute for Study Abroad. They had a websi te that specialized in finding internships all around the world, it was called www.discareergate.dk . After a month of searching and scheduling interviews, I was hired by Seidenfaden Design Copenhagen as a graphic design intern.  I worked under the company’s graphic designer, Wakana Sakihama. Seidenfaden Design Copenhagen is an international design studio that specializes in industrial design and graphic design. They focus mostly on household and lifestyle product...

My name is Jack Sorokin and I am a junior photography major, from South Orange, New Jersey. Over the summer of 2013 I worked with photographer, Laura DeSantis Olsson at her company,   LDO Photography. I began my internship in July, 2013 and ended it the same month, by working 5-6 days a week with Laura for 6 – 14 hours at a time. I choose this schedule collaboratively with her to maximize my educational experience. During my internship I assisted Laura by shooting and being a second hand on shoots with such clients as, Glass Mansion, BroLab Collective at the Bronx Museum, Bangz Hair Salon, Architek Studios, and many others. We also storyboarded, produced, and shot a music video for musician, Lauren Marsh. I really enjoyed the opportunity to shoot along with Laura and assist her on this project, because it not only opened my eyes up to the possibility of freelance work available, but also let me observe Laura as a businesswoman. She is extremely good at netw...

My name is Taylor Smith-Hams, and I’m a Sophomore Painting and Humanistic Studies major. Over the summer of 2013, I worked as a studio assistant for painter Paul Wackers. I contacted several artists in January and February of this year, people whose work I had both long admired and recently discovered. I sent out emails with my resume and cover letter, and Paul was the most interested of the artists I contacted. After several email exchanges and few phone interviews, Paul invited me to work for him in his Brooklyn studio from June through August. In the studio, I completed various daily tasks including washing brushes, preparing panels, assisting with painting, purchasing supplies, documenting work, and packing and shipping work. As the summer progressed, Paul increased my responsibilities, eventually giving me broader painting assignments with which I had more freedom. I am most proud of these small projects, as they demonstrate the trust and respect I developed with ...

My name is Sarah Jacoby and I am an Illustration and Printmaking major. Random House Children’s Books is the world’s largest English language children’s trade bookpublisher. Schwartz & Wade is a smaller children’s book imprint at Random House. I was not familiar with Schwartz & Wade until Rachael Cole, Art Director, came to speak to the Illustration Practice Program in the fall of 2012. As an illustrator who is interested in creating picture books, I was just becoming familiar with imprints that I respected at that time. Schwartz & Wade was very high on my list. I made an effort to introduce myself to Rachael the day she spoke at Mica and applied for an internship that winter. After an in person interview at their home office in New York, I was hired. During the summer I worked closely with Stephanie Pitts, the editorial assistant at Schwartz & Wade. My general duties were the following: • Read and report on submissions • Read unsolicited manuscripts • Scan and ...

My name is Robert Soto and I am an Illustration major. At the start of the spring semester of 2013 I was hunting for an internship with a scientific institution. I was determined to get experience working with scientists of any kind to produce illustrations that would tell me if I had what it takes to make Paleo reconstructions for a living. After a few weeks of emailing various parks and institutions with no luck I spoke to a professor of mine who had told us that he started out doing nature illustrations for a Marine research lab here in Maryland. I asked if could point me in the right direction for an internship or make an introduction and within a few days I had a meeting with Dr. Al Place atIMET and was given the opportunity to be the first scientific illustration intern they have had. I was hired before I even walked through the door, Al had a lot of respect for my professor work and knew the advantages to having a scientific illustrator on the team. The Institute of Marine an...