JMU encourages every student, regardless of major, to explore work-based learning, which can take the form of internships, externships, practicums, clinicals, student-teaching and more.
The goal of work-based learning experiences is the “exploration and observation of the thing that you think you’re interested in,” said Emma Gibbons, assistant director for internships with the University Career Center. From there, students can decide if the field is right for them and make adjustments to their education accordingly.
“Being able to do that in an environment that is specifically made for you to explore is the best option that a student could choose,” she said.
And what better time to pursue work-based learning than over the summer?
Senior Allison Kowalczyk is doing just that this summer as a sports production, broadcasting and analytics intern with the Sussex County (New Jersey) Miners Minor League Baseball team.
“It’s giving me a clearer picture of the different roles in sports media and how they intersect, which will help me decide which direction I want to go after graduation,” said Kowalczyk, a Media Arts and Design major with a Digital Video and Cinema concentration and a Sport Communication minor.
During one of her recent shifts, the game went into extra innings and the broadcast system glitched. Kowalczyk had to stop the recording, reroute the system and communicate with the announcers, as well as the camera team, to keep the systems running smoothly. The experience tested her ability to stay calm and think on her feet in “high-pressure situations that I may face in a full-time sports production role,” she shared. “That night told me that I want to be in this fast-paced, live-event environment long-term.”
Prince Amarante, a senior studying International Affairs, is also gaining real-world experience via a summer internship in J.P. Morgan’s Washington, D.C., office.
Amarante’s involvement with the Madison Investment Fund, a student-led portfolio manager, exposed him to the versatility that exists within the field of finance, and he was hooked.
“It seems like I can kind of dip my toes in different disciplines because [with] finance, you kind of have to know a little bit about what’s going on in politics, what’s going on in energy,” he said. “A bunch of things influence finance, influence markets, influence businesses.”
J.P. Morgan encourages interns to spend the day shadowing an analyst. “They can kind of walk you through everything on how they’re working through a deal, the things they’re thinking about, and then also through that experience, you get to learn more of what it’s like adjusting to post-grad life,” he said.
Amarante found the position with the help of Madison Investment Fund alumni — an assist he credits to the “pay-it-forward” nature of the fund and of JMU in general. “The alumni want to help,” he said.
Within the Career Center, Gibbons and her colleagues assist in all aspects of work-based learning, from how to find such experiences to preparing a resume and cover letter to practice interviews. Their services are available to Dukes beginning with freshman enrollment and continuing through two years post-grad.
“Our goal is to help students reach their goals. It’s always fun to kind of see where they want to head, because you never know who’s going to walk in,” Gibbons said.
The center also hosts career fairs and encourages students to sign into the job- and internship-posting platform Handshake. “On average, we have anywhere from 10,000 to 25,000-plus jobs and internships posted,” Gibbons said. The employers featured are directly approved by the Career Center to post opportunities to JMU students.
Gibbons said employers consistently love working with Dukes, who exhibit traits like creative thinking, teamwork, adaptability, quick learning and strong interpersonal skills.
“They routinely come here to recruit,” she said, “because they enjoy the unique things that are built by being a JMU student.”