Internships: Professional Writing
Intern: Laurie Stewart, MA in Communication Studies
Workplace Supervisor: Amanda Tross, Communications Coordinator, Office of Mediated Education, Kansas State University
Faculty Supervisor: Han Yu, Associate Professor, English
Course: ENGL 797 Professional Writing Internship (External)
Semester: Fall 2012
A second-year Master's student, Laurie Stewart completed an internship in the Fall of 2012 through the Office of Mediated Education at K-State. The office manages and develops K-State’s user interfaces, such as K-State Online (KSOL) and Webmail. Under her supervisor Amanda Tross, Laurie worked 10 hours a week, writing step-by-step documentation and creating over 250 videos to help K-State faculty utilize KSOL. In addition, Laurie’s job included writing proposals and status reports. Amanda speaks highly of Laurie, saying, “The work she outputs is phenomenal. [What] she’s done in particular with KSOL would not have gotten done without Laurie in that position.”
Laurie believes this internship was a very good learning experience for her. Although she had never worked in technical communication before her internship, she now hopes to pursue a technical communication and writing job. Through this internship, Laurie said she gained practical skills not learned in the classroom and learned professionalism from the experience of having her work published. For students pursuing internships, Laurie encourages, “Be open to different experiences and willing to try something new.” In addition, Amanda urges students to pursue an internship on-campus, because they often involve mentorship, with supervisors who want to grow exceptional students for their post-graduation jobs.