Grace Lenehan '15--SiriusXM Radio, The Highway

Name: Grace Lenehan
Class: 2015

Major: Journalism and Media Communications

Hometown: Mansfield, OH

Internship: SiriusXM Radio The Highway

Location: Nashville, TN

Internship Responsibilities: One of my biggest responsibilities was gathering and submitting show prep of topics they could talk about each day. I also contributed to show ideas during the hours of the live show. Whenever an artist or guest came in for an interview or performance, I was the person in charge of writing a guest sheet of information for the interview. I was also in charge of managing listeners and guests in the studio. I also had the chance to do a few artist interviews, and brush up on my editing skills for those. 

What I Learned: My internship this past summer in Nashville was an experience that I wouldn't have traded for the world. I was able to get a taste of exactly what I want to do in my dream city.  I was the Morning Show Intern for SiriusXM's channel, The Highway. I got to work with the host, Storme Warren, and the producer, Brittany Goudie on the morning show. It was an unbelievable experience. I got to watch interviews with high profile artists every week, and I learned so much about the radio and music industry from just being in that environment. 

Cordray in Colorado, Part 3: Communicating in the Workplace

I have successfully completed my third week of internship and am getting nice and settled into my new work environment. I'm also becoming surprisingly accustomed to the eight-hour work day.... well almost. One thing I am still adjusting to, however, is communicating with my co-workers in the office.

My cluttered desk

My office, pictured below, is made up of four desks, one in each corner, with no cubicle walls or anything - just wide open space. This creates lots of opportunity for interaction between the three people I share an office with: the PR and Media Relations Director, the Marketing and Communications Director, and the Creative Director. They are all incredibly nice people to work with and I'm very lucky to get along with all of them as successfully as I do. That being said, they are three completely different people who communicate in completely different ways.

The Media Relations Director, for example, gives me mostly creative tasks to work on like editing videos and crafting social media posts. He takes a pretty hands-off approach of directing me, which allows me to be creative and find my own way of doing things; however, it can also make me feel like I am in way over my head. The Marketing Director, on the other hand, is the complete opposite. Whenever she delegates a task to me, she gives me an ample amount of instruction. Most of the tasks usually utilize Excel spreadsheets and are not nearly as creative, which allows for more structure and direction. The Creative Director is very used to doing things on her own, and often forgets that I am there to help in any way I can. I often have to remind her that I can do things like run to pick up posters or cut out signs and other promotional media. So with her, it's hard for me to know what she needs done because she is very quiet and is used to getting things done by herself.

The office

Navigating these three varying communicative styles is a real challenge and something that I am grateful to experience. In the workplace, you have to collaborate with people of all types who have various ways of communicating. Being able to identify how the people around me communicate is key in making this internship the most it can be. After three weeks of observing them, I now know to ask the Media Relations Director a lot of questions when he gives me a project to work on, so I have a better sense of direction and feel more structured. I also know to ask the Creative Director if she would like help with anything, because she is not one to ask unless I offer. Picking up on how those around me communicate is a valuable skill that I am definitely glad to be learning through this internship experience! And with twelve more weeks to go, I'm sure the communication between the four of us will get better and better!

Anyways, thanks for reading! Until next time!

Dillon Cordray
Music and Business '15

P.S. The weather here has been absolutely amazing! It was 70 degrees and sunny all weekend - it feels like summer! I've been exploring this beautiful state and realizing how lucky I am to be able to intern out here!... But more on that next week! See you then!

Alanna Schutlz '15 -- Orthopedic One

Name: Alanna Schultz

Class Year: 2015

Major: Allied Health

Internship Site: Orthopedic One

What I Learned:

Upon finishing my internship for Allied Health I have reflected a lot about the journey that the semester had taken me on. Not only did I learn an abundant amount of information outside the classroom through this internship, but also got to experience 125 hours in a real life PT headquarters. Not many people get to be enrolled in a school that fosters this type of growth outside of the classroom. Shadowing for an extended period of time allowed me to ponder how blessed I am to be a part of an amazing academic institution. An institution that cares for the overall well-being of the student and wants them to grow in every single area of their life.

I grew throughout the course of my internship in a lot of different areas. For example, I used to be pretty intimidated by adults. I am comfortable being around peers but for some reason I was afraid I would lose all my knowledge if a therapist asked me a question about something I had learned in the classroom. I was so scared to give a wrong answer. By the end of my internship, I felt so comfortable around all the therapists and definitely felt that I could be my goofy self around older, more experienced professionals and they would still respect me.

I look at my internship as this hill that I had to climb. In the beginning it was hard but I had to keep climbing up that hill until I reached the top and was able to reach the point where I was comfortable around everyone. Once I hit that point, my internship became a place where I could learn and have some fun at the same time, which is my favorite combination. Even though sometimes it was hard interning at Orthopedic One knowing that this profession isn’t right for me, it challenged me use it as a learning experience.