My Communications Internship Experience

Interested in becoming a Communications intern? Here are some interesting facts for you to know to expand your interest! As an international student from Chicago, Illinois, I came to Massey University with a very open mind when taking part in my Communications internship. Right now, I’m currently working with the student mobility team in the international office to help promote more study abroad and student exchanges with Massey University.

Student Mobility Coordinator Craig Lyons and Communications Intern Allen Riquelme discussing exchange information in a meeting with prospective outbound exchange student.

This experience has been absolutely incredible so far! I've been given my own work space and my own laptop to complete all of my tasks. I've been able to gain so much experience with this internship so far. I've been able to participate in outbound exchange informational and pre-departure sessions. I've also gained experience with shadowing one-on-one meetings with prospective outbound students while also participating in the Clubs Day outbound promotional booth. Along with these experiences, I was also even able to witness the National expedition and Internship Powhiri, which was an amazing traditional Maori welcome ceremony. 

A lot of these experiences have also given me the opportunity to participate in these events on both the Palmerston North and Wellington campus, so it’s been really fascinating to travel to different sites to complete our tasks.

National Expedition and Internship students learning about the traditional Maori culture.

In regards to the projects that I've had experience working on throughout this semester, I've been able to blog about my experiences in New Zealand, conducted and analyzed surveys regarding awareness of student exchanges, and I've even designed promotional flyers for the outbound exchange informational sessions. I will also be interviewing current exchange students to ask about their experiences so far in New Zealand to help increase the promotion for Massey University's student exchange program.

These experiences have truly been amazing because not only do I get to experience seeing these students’ dreams of taking part in a student exchange come true, but my learning experience has really benefited so much from this experience so far. I've been able to meet so many international students here in New Zealand so far. It’s been a really valuable way to build connections internationally as well.

As the only intern here in the international office, I feel so grateful to have obtained this internship opportunity through The School of Communication, Journalism, and Marketing. If anyone has even the slightest interest in taking part in an internship in this field, I highly recommend going for it. This experience will not only help you academically, but it will help you grow emotionally as well. The experiences that you will have truly will help you advance to the next level in your career.