When I decided to be an English major freshman year, the one problem I had with my chosen field was my lack of knowledge of where a degree in English could take me. I’ve heard my share of “living in a box” jokes to know that many consider the post-graduation opportunities for people in my major to be slim. I was determined that this would not stop me from pursuing the major that I truly enjoy, so I went on the quest for an internship in my field that would give me some background into what I could do with my beloved English degree after graduation. Before recounting my tale, let me say a little about myself now. I’m Rachael Green, a junior in Schreyer majoring in English and Psychology. As I did when I was a freshman, I still think I will probably pursue a career in English upon graduation. One career that I considered as a freshman (and that I am still considering) is a position in academia. To test out this potential career path, I stumbled into an internship that allowed me to glimpse the research that those in academia conduct.
An English Major’s Quest for an Internship
The real reason I was able to find an internship at all was because of Elizabeth Jenkins. She’s actually the assistant director of the graduate program, but I was steered in her direction when I asked about internships. This was some of the best advice I have received. When I expressed interest in working with a professor, she was very receptive and immediately said that she had someone in mind if I would like to try that. Curious, I decided to pursue this option. This led me to Hester Blum, an associate professor here at PSU. At that time, Hester was just starting the research on a new project, and she was more than willing to take me on to help her with this at Liz’s recommendation. Thus was the beginning of my first internship.
This is the first post in a series of three. Stay tuned next Friday for Rachael’s second entry.