Celebrating Our Interns on National Intern Day
Real-world experience flows in both directions during NCCU/Duke partnership
Duke University Communications, the publishers of Duke Today and the Duke Daily, are marking National Intern Day 2022 by celebrating our own interns.
For the 15th summer, communicators across the Duke campus have been hosting paid summer interns from the department of mass communications at NC Central University, our HBCU neighbor in Durham.
This summer, 17 students have worked side by side with communications professionals to produce writing, photography, video and web content that is published for them to use as portfolio materials. They also gain perspective from a series of ‘lunch and learn’ programs featuring career advice, coaching on video and writing and program alumni who are now working professionals themselves.
“I am having a ton of fun and being at Trinity has been great,” said Nya McCray, one of this year’s cohort. “Being able to work with everyone, I really have learned so much from all of them.”
Over the years, more than 180 NCCU students have acquired real-world work experience and connections to professionals who continue to advise them and write recommendations long after the 10-week program has finished.
“As a result of this internship, I now see myself applying to more in the future,” Rebecca Smith said last year. “Being an intern at Duke is an experience I won't forget.” Smith returned this summer for another stint.
Next year, the program will be officially known as the Charmaine McKissick-Melton Summer Fellowship, in recognition of “Dr. Mac,” the beloved former chair of mass communications at NCCU, who retired from teaching in July. McKissick-Melton was an award-winning professor who co-founded this partnership. She guided at least 250 students through ‘boot camp’ and the internship hiring process with Duke and more than 180 got the job. Several have gone on to careers at Duke.
Congratulations Interns, and thank you for another great summer!