Through this blog, we will spotlight Otterbein students who are engaging in internships and professional experiences in a variety of industries and geographic locations. We will also share tips and advice on searching for internships and making the most of internship experiences.

Friday, April 25, 2014

Sean Brewster '15 - AICUO


Name: Sean Brewster
Year: 2015
Major: Music & Business with a concentration in Fine Arts Administration and a minor in Business Administration
Hometown: Norwalk, OH
Internship: 2014-2015 Art Awards Coordinator at the Association of Independent Colleges & Universities of Ohio (AICUO)
Location: Columbus, OH

Internship Responsibilities:
The Art Awards Coordinator position at AICUO is an intensive year-long internship that is teaching me the skills that are necessary to be an Arts Administrator. Through this position, I am in charge of planning the reception, coordinating the competition, obtaining grants and sponsorship awards for the program, and communicating with the executives of AICUO. This internship provides significant experience in administration, social networking, budget, grant writing, and event planning. It has also created opportunities for me to make connections throughout the Greater Columbus and Ohio arts communities.

What I learned:
I learned about the many different skills that it takes to successfully plan, organize and implement an event. In addition to these skills, I am actively refining my grant writing and sponsorship request skills. I am slowly gaining experience in using the Adobe Creative Suite; with a focus on learning the Adobe In-Design, Illustrator, and Photoshop programs.

Advice for the internship search:
I challenge you to CONSTANTLY be looking for internships. I am habitually perusing Cardinal Careers, Columbusinternships.com, and internmatch.com to see if there are any internships that I may be remotely interested in. Even if I am unavailable at the current moment, I still reach out to the organization in the hopes that I can make a connection for the future. Also, do not be afraid to reach out to professionals right now and connect; these connections are what will help you to find internships later on. Another tip: cast your net wide so that you have options.

Advice for making the most of your internship experience:
Always make sure that you are putting your all into any internship experience! This is the only way that you are going to figure out whether you want to pursue this field as a career. Take every advantage to connect with professionals, organize events, and do research for the organization you are interning with. Your supervisor will notice this and be able to write a stupendous recommendation letter or recommend you to a fellow professional.

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