By Neelah McCarthy '27
On Tuesday, March 11, the Journalism department hosted its fourth annual Journalism and Public Relations Internship Fair. The fair enabled students to introduce themselves to future employers as well as build valuable networking skills.
Held in the Communications Hub in the Integrative Learning Center, the fair hosted many employers from across Massachusetts, including the Greenfield Recorder, MassLive, Western Mass News, The Harvard Press and many more. The event created a casual and encouraging atmosphere for students to introduce themselves, ask questions and learn more about potential internship opportunities. It was also a homecoming for some employers; 12 of the people who tabled at the event are UMass graduates, and of those 12, six graduated from the Journalism department.
For Zoe Rakarich, a senior studying journalism, the internship fair provided her with a great opportunity to connect with many potential employers.
“The fair was awesome,” Rakarich said. “There were so many employers and so many opportunities to make such great connections.” She added that the most valuable part was “meeting people and giving them your resume,” while making connections that could lead to internships or jobs.
Another student, Roy Mann, a junior studying journalism with a public relations concentration, also noted how he greatly enjoyed his time at the internship fair and felt that his experience helped him to remain hopeful about gaining an internship in the coming months.
“My experience was great,” Mann said. “I got to talk to a lot of lovely groups and I’m very excited for this summer and the coming fall.” He added, “I had a great time networking and it was very nice to see a lot of my lovely classmates.”
Employers said the fair also reflected the strong relationship between the UMass Journalism Department and local media organizations.
Shelby Brock, managing editor at the Greenfield Recorder and UMass Amherst alum, said that her publication has a steady flow of interns, particularly from UMass Amherst, as a result of this strong relationship. The Recorder has attended the Journalism and PR Internship Fair since its inception, and that has helped to strengthen the relationship between the two organizations.
“I would say that the people we get from UMass are just so well prepared,” Brock said. “It helps when you have written for the Collegian and have some clips under your belt.”
The fair highlighted how important it is for students to be provided with opportunities to build connections, confidence, and better equip themselves for potential career paths.