Brittany Poeppe | Assistant Arts & Life Editor

This summer, several students had the chance to learn a little more about working in the professional world through internships. Buena Vista University (BVU) students Zachary Schmidt and Cole Haeska decided to work in Los Angeles, California this summer.

Schmidt worked for Viacom, a Spike TV and MTV affiliate, while Haeska worked for Premiere Digital Services, a movie distribution company. While both had different experiences, they each walked away with more knowledge about living independently and working as professionals.

Schmidt applied for all available jobs in LA. Haeska met an employee from Premiere Digital Services while on a J-term trip to Walt Disney World. Both agreed that communication was essential in landing their internships and that LA was the place they both needed to go in the future.

“I fit in there,” Schmidt said. “I wanted to go there to make connections and build a network.”

This was Schmidt’s second trip to LA and Haeska’s first. Both feel more confident about themselves after returning. Schmidt feels especially confident that he will have a job when he graduates this year. He says his resume represents him well, and when interviewing, he tries to make an impression. For his interview at Viacom, they asked him what animal he would be if he had the choice. Schmidt chose a koala because everyone loves them and they make people happy. His response delighted the interviewers.

Schmidt and Haeska had different tasks while interning, but both enjoyed going out with friends, sightseeing, and going to the beaches when they weren’t working.

“I got to see the Hollywood sign, visit Venice Beach, and do a bunch of ‘touristy’ stuff,” Haeska said.

Both Schmidt and Haeska remarked that the students that left for LA were not the same students that came back. They both learned how to live on their own, among other life skills. Both had advice to give students who want to better themselves and their resumes for future internship experiences.

“Anything you do is worth it if you can work for it. You never know when opportunity will pop up,” Haeska said.

“It’s never really an accomplishment if it didn’t take hard work. When you do the work, it really pays off,” Schmidt said.

Photos courtesy of Zachary Schmidt