Mikaela Cannonier
Just days after returning to her home country of Bermuda this past spring, Mikaela Cannonier (junior, journalism) found herself in court--on assignment as a summer intern with The Royal Gazette, reporting on the country's senate session.
Since then, Cannonier has written over 156 articles--many of which have landed on the publication's coveted front page. Impressive, since The Royal Gazette is the country's only daily newspaper, reaching over 90 percent of the adult market.
With reference to her first day on the job, Cannonier said, "I sat in on the senate session to write an article about it. (When) I came to work (the following) morning and looked at the paper, my story was on the front page--the first story!" In addition to reporting on the legislature in the courts, she's covered everything from crime investigations to new business openings. She also wrote a whole page spread about Father's Day.
Just months after completing JOUR230 (Beginning Media Writing) and simply days after completing JOUR330 (Advanced Media Writing), Cannonier put her journalism classroom learning to work--literally!
Like Cannonier, several other departmental majors have been putting their classroom learning to work through their respective and unique internships. Through this hands-on learning, they have gained valuable work experience while building their own set of skills.
In addition, students (like Francisca Bakken's story) who step outside the proverbial classroom and complete an internship find it easier to land a job following graduation. Internships provide valuable experience as well as valuable networking connections with industry professionals.
According to Cannonier, making contacts has been one of the best parts of her experience. "I already have job offers--which is amazing for a junior. I feel like I have already graduated because I am already in the door of the media world here in Bermuda."
To register for an internship, students should work with their faculty advisor and follow the guidelines and procedures outlined in the Internship and Practicum Student Manual available from the department.
In the words of Cannonier, putting her classroom learning to work this summer "has been an amazing opportunity and I wouldn't trade it for anything else in the world."