Over the past Spring semester, Broadcast Media student and recent graduate, Nikita Grant received a grant from large American media foundation, The Scripps Foundation, and also had the opportunity to intern with WPBT-South Florida PBS on their production team.
What did you do at your internship?
I was a production intern for South Florida PBS at the Health Channel.
How did you get your internship?
It was an opportunity presented to me by Professor Lilliam Bustos.
What projects did you work on?
I helped mostly with the day-to-day aspects of the live shows. I was also able to work on research, video shoots and multiple scripts alongside the producers.
Describe the process you went through towards receiving the grant and internship.
I went to the interview, received the call that I got the internship the next day and received the grant from the Scripps Foundation a few days before I started. I was relieved when I found out I received the internship and the grant because I was then able to leave my part-time retail job to do something that I love full-time. It worked out great because I used the grant to maintain myself throughout the 10-week duration of the internship.
What was the coolest thing that happened during your internship (Thus far)?
The Health Channel production team is pretty small so I did not work with anyone major, but I was able to shoot, interview, and edit a package about a Miami massage school named the CE Institute. It was fun to be working on location and living my dream.
What did you like most about your experience (thus far)?
The producers were very supportive and saw to it that I received the experience that I would need in the field.
What did you learn about yourself?
I learned that asking questions could take me much farther than staying quiet. I learned to question everything. Sometimes, what we see is only part of the story.
How did you expand your professional network?
I was able to connect with the producers and anchors that I worked with and I am still in contact with them.
How did it help you prove yourself in the “real world”?
My internship was very hands-on and it has eased my worries about having a lack of experience. The real world seems less daunting now.
What advice do you have for those beginning the internship process?
Don’t put yourself in a box. Every experience has the potential to be a learning and networking experience.
Keep reaching to the stars Nikita!
