When I review the past 15 years of helping students find and perform internships, I’m at first amazed at the variety of opportunities the students have had. And then, I’m not amazed at all. The whole point of the professional writing major is to help students understand that good writers are needed everywhere.
People who can communicate well in writing are needed in every nonprofit, every large and small business, every ministry, every organization. Professional writing students are prepared to hit the ground running in their practicums because they’ve been well trained in the format, etiquette, and techniques in many types of written communication. Whether they’re editing books for a publishing house or working at a business writing emails or newsletters or direct mail or blogs or social media, they are prepared from the start to experience what a job as a writing communicator might look like.
Across the university, many majors require practicums or internships (there’s a slight nuance in the descriptions), and students attest to their value in learning the expectations of a job in their field, gaining networking opportunities, building their résumés, and coming back to their coursework with renewed energy and excitement.
I can speak only for my students’ experiences, but I have watched them thrive in various types of practicums and sometimes return to those locations for their first jobs. A graduate from 2015 and Long Island resident, Caroline Cilento, did her practicum in the editorial department at Guideposts in NYC. After graduation, she applied for an open position with them and was hired.
I often like to make use of a student’s secondary interest in helping them see how that and their writing can meld in a practicum. Emma Holley, a 2024 graduate, came into Taylor with a passion for writing for children. After our department held a special seminar class on Writing for Children with best-selling children’s author Michelle Medlock Adams, Emma received a summer practicum opportunity with Michelle. That training enabled her to land a job editing children’s books for Answers in Genesis (see the article on Emma in the November 5, 2025, edition of The Echo).
A graduate from 2014, Tara (Gnagy) Whicker, had an environmental science minor. For her practicum, she spent her summer at Fort Caswell on Oak Island off the coast of North Carolina writing curriculum and activities for grade schoolers who came to the island for field trips. (And she is another who returned to that location as a job after graduation.) A 2015 graduate with a biology minor, Wren Haynes, spent her summer in Minnesota tagging birds – but also writing direct mail fundraising letters for the bird sanctuary where she worked, along with writing news releases and planning events.
Several students worked remotely on copyediting manuscripts and writing book reviews for blogs. This type of work transitioned easily during the COVID pandemic.
Students readily attest to the value that comes with getting this real-world training. Charis Negley, 2024 grad who interned with JAARS in North Carolina, wrote, “Doing this job, I learned that my content creation skills are strong (and still developing), and I have a good understanding of certain social media platforms. My work was praised and my input was valued. I enjoyed people appreciating the work I did because it was not a specialty of theirs. Before this, I’ve seen my work as lesser than other jobs, like those in more technical jobs, but this internship taught me that God has purposefully given us specialized ideas, skills, and voices to use for his Great Commission, and he has a specific calling for everyone.”
Sometimes students learn from practicum experiences what they don’t want. Some students who interned during the pandemic discovered that remote work is not for them; others thrived. They learn how to lean into their skills and what might ultimately be most fulfilling when the job world calls.
In addition, I’m grateful for the many partners who have worked with our students. It does take extra work on the part of the on-site supervisors to train and mentor an intern. Hats off to them and the experiences they have given my students that have launched many into their careers.
