Externship Program

IPFW Externship Program: A Students Perspective! By Kristan Mensch

I had frequently been told that the biggest problem for aspiring journalists hopeful to enter the field after graduation is a lack of experience in a newsroom.

As a junior at IPFW, I had the opportunity to gain a little of that experience through an externship. The look and feel, functionality, pace, workload and anything else I could possibly soak up - I wanted to experience it all.

So, unlike many students, I spent my spring break externing at The Journal Gazette.

It was only a seven day thing, so I didn’t take writing assignments, perform interviews, etc. Rather, I shadowed a range of professionals, from an illustrator, section editor and beat journalist to an opinion writer, enterprise team and court reporter. The people in these positions were all familiar to me - I’ve been reading their articles and viewing their work everyday for years. It was really interesting to see how the job was done, following people to meetings and going out with them while they report.

I was supervised by the managing editor, Sherry Skufca, and she tailored the whole externship to fit my interests. The “deal” was that if I took an interest in one section or aspect of the job, or would rather be working alongside someone else, I was allowed to switch so I could get as much as possible out of the whole experience.

Every day was different, as is news, and I was completely captivated by everything that goes into the process of creating a daily publication - networking with people, reporting, finding the angle no one has thought of, writing and editing.

My desire to work in journalism was upheld by the externing experience, and I am more than grateful for having the opportunity to do so through IPFW Career Services.

To learn more about the externship program, contact Ashley McArdle in Career Services, 481-0689.