Internship: Social Media
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Intern: Adrianna Gordey, Senior, English Workplace: K-State’s Young Writers’ Workshop Faculty Supervisor: Traci Brimhall Course: ENGL 495 Semester: Summer 2018
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Young Writers’ Workshop is an annual event sponsored by the English Department at K-State. For a week, a group of middle school students travel to K-State and gain experience in multiple types of creative writing in a collaborative, supportive environment. As the program assistant for the workshop, Adrianna completed multiple tasks. Prior to the workshop, Adrianna worked with the young writers to make sure they are well provided for and comfortable in their stay. During the workshop week, she handled the workshop’s social media outlets; authored daily blog posts; and corresponded with the head of the English Department, the workshop director, workshop teachers, visiting writers, participants, and participants’ parents. Post-workshop, Adrianna presented the success of the workshop in a statistics-and-graphics-filled poster.
According to the workshop director Dr. Katy Karlin, “Adrianna was indispensable to the smooth running of the workshop, and she was involved on many different levels. Most critically, the graphics and text she posted daily on our social media account were an important way to reach parents and supporters, whose understanding of the activities is crucial to our success.”
In Adrianna’s words, “the internship experience was awesome! I got to work closely not only with English department faculty and students, but kids interested in creative writing. Seeing them exposed to different media and forms of literature—short stories, poetry, storytelling aloud—made me remember why it’s so important to continue using one’s imagination to investigate reality through the written word.”
As with every opportunity, there were also challenges. During the workshop, a lot of different tasks had to be managed on a day-to-day basis: catering, social media accounts, paperwork. Each day brought something new that required Adrianna to improvise and problem solve. “There’s no way to schedule this type of program minute to minute,” Adrianna said. “But that’s also where most of the learning and fun came into play!”
Through the internship, Adrianna learned the importance of “teamwork, communication, creativity, and flexibility.” Working with accomplished faculty, visiting writers, and fellow students allowed her to grow professionally; at the same time, engaging with the young writers encouraged her to continue writing creatively and spread her “love for words.”
When asked if she has any advice for fellow English students about internships, Adrianna said “Apply, apply, apply! You never know what opportunities you can be a part of if you don’t apply for them. Plus, going outside of your comfort zone to experience something new is, while scary, extremely worth the personal and professional growth you will achieve!”