Bellisario students gain professional support with summer internships

Editor’s Note: This is the 11th in a series of articles about students in the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications completing summer internships.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Summer internships have ended, but the related engagement and support have continued — and in some cases multiplied — for several the Penn State Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications students who participated in the T. Howard Foundation’s internship program.

The T. Howard Foundation was launched in 1993 with the goal of increasing diversity in all facets of the entertainment and media industry. Based in Silver Spring, Maryland, the foundation partners with Penn State to select and place students in internships with major media companies. The foundation was named for H. Taylor Howard, a Stanford University faculty member and inventor who influenced a variety of communications technology, specifically that related to television transmission in the 1960s and ’70s.

This year, six Bellisario College students participated in the program.

According to the students, the program provides opportunities to gain career advice, listen to guest speakers, participate in mentoring sessions and more as part of a relationship that stretches beyond an internship.

“I think it was very helpful,” said Jadyn Stuart, a fourth-year advertising/public relations major who worked as an intern with Comcast in Philadelphia this summer. “I don’t think I’d be in the same position I am now without the T. Howard Foundation.”

Stuart has participated in the T. Howard Foundation program for two years.

“It’s been so wonderful,” said Cerrena Lewis, a third-year advertising/public relations major who completed an internship with AMC Networks. “My bosses have been so good about helping me understand and grow. I’ve learned so much about entertainment public relations. And, with what’s happening in the industry right now it’s fascinating to see how people are adapting and navigating.”

Students must complete a competitive application process to be considered for the program’s eligible talent pool. The program offers those students mentoring, networking and an intensive support session at the foundation’s headquarters.

In addition, all Bellisario College students get the focused attention and a variety of opportunities from their career services office. That includes guest speakers, individual meetings, resume reviews, an etiquette dinner and three communications-specific job fairs (one on campus, one in New York City and one in Washington, D.C.) — all designed to complement students’ classroom experiences and prepare them for career success.

Stuart, who is completing an integrated undergraduate-graduate program, has been active on campus with “Culture Central,” a student TV show she helped create. She also serves as vice president of marketing for The Lion 90.7fm and as a teaching assistant. She’s headed into the graduate program of her academic work this fall, pursuing her master’s degree in media studies.

Lewis, who worked in New York City for AMC Networks this summer, stays busy on campus as well. She serves as a tour guide on campus and will begin work as a student assistant with the Penn State Athletics’ communications office this fall.

She said her experience this summer broadened her interests and helped her consider even more career options.

Both Stuart and Lewis credited their achievements to the personalized support provided by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion in the Bellisario College — specifically from Assistant Dean Gary Abdullah.

“I chose Penn State because of him,” Stuart said. “I didn’t get a chance to visit but he mentioned all the opportunities and everything the Bellisario College could mean for my future. That caught my attention, and I knew things would be great. He’s been right about all of it.”

Lewis agreed.

“There’s just a personal touch in the Bellisario College,” she said. “They let me know about the T. Howard Foundation, and there have been so many other ways that people have shown they care about me. That’s been really nice.”