Communications majors prepare for future at internship expo

The "INTERNow Communications Internship/ePortfolio Expo” attracted more than 30 employers to meet with students seeking employment, internships and advice.

During the Feb. 18 internship expo, Evan Gaskin ’16, a communication design major, spoke with a representative of TheeDesign, a web design and Internet marketing agency located in Raleigh.
​More than 30 employers, representing a variety of communications-related industries, were on hand for a Feb. 18 internship event hosted by the School of Communications Internship Office and the Student Professional Development Center.

The daylong “INTERNow Communications Internship/ePortfolio Expo” attracted professionals from advertising and marketing agencies (TheeDesign, Wildfire and Wray Ward), athletic organizations (Atlantic Coast Conference and Greensboro Grasshoppers) and news outlets (WITN, WLXI and Time Warner Cable News), among other industries. A photo gallery of the expo is available on the school’s Flickr page.

As part of the event, which was held in Moseley Center’s McKinnon Hall, the employers hosted 20-minute ePortfolio critiques for graduating seniors and participated in two drop-in sessions for students seeking internships. The 120 seniors currently enrolled in the school’s “Great Ideas: Capstone in Communications” course were required to partake in the onsite critiques.

While the Internship Office has traditionally held expo-style drop-in sessions, the ePortfolio critique was a new addition this semester, according to Nagatha Tonkins, director of internships for the School of Communications.

“We were really excited about this new format,” Tonkins said. “The seniors who participated in the critiques received insightful advice, which will better prepare them to enter the job market. In addition, our students looking for internships had an opportunity to practice their networking skills and speak with prospective employers. We think it was a win-win for soon-to-be graduates planning their next few months and underclassmen preparing for their next few years.”

Amber McCraw, assistant director of career services, and Ashley Pinney, associate director of corporate and employer relations, also helped facilitate the communications expo.