Cecil Robinson
Staff Writer
cecil.robinson@hawks.shorter.edu
While some students enjoyed a relaxing summer, students Caleb Britt and Laura Ayers on the other hand were completing their internships during the break.
Britt, a senior communications major, concluded a paid summer internship with WSB- TV/Channel 2 Action News stationed in Atlanta.
“This summer was very eye-opening for me because I was able to learn a lot in both the professional and personal broadcast industry,” Britt said. He began working at the station towards the end of May and finished in late July.
Throughout the course of his internship, Britt worked as a news intern where he had the chance to shadow reporters and volunteer at both the Southeastern Emmys and “The Bachelor” casting call. In addition, Britt participated in “Atlanta Unite!” which was a prime-time special designated to open conversation about racial division following weeks of local and national protests.
During his time with WSB-TV, Britt also helped produce a student news cast with several other interns at the station. While he produced and anchored news casts, Britt also presented one of his summer news packages to the communication arts department at the beginning of the semester.
Although his internship with the station has come to an end, Britt says there is still much
to be learned about the media industry.
“From my internship experience, I know that my dreams are attainable. With hard work and perseverance, my aspira- tions of one day becoming a news anchor/reporter, motivational speaker and pageant host will motivate others to live out their dreams,” Britt said.
Britt wasn’t the only student getting experience in his field. This summer, computer information systems major Laura Ayers completed an internship with the U. S. Coast Guard Research and Developmental Center as part of a program sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security.
“I learned a lot about the Coast Guard, such as how it operates and what it’s goals are. I had the honor of attending several cybersecurity trainings and getting hands on training hosted by the Department of Homeland Security that allowed me to gain practical experience with computer security practices,” Ayers said.
At the end of May, she traveled to New London, CT to begin her internship, and she finished near the end of July.
Although writing computer code is fun, Ayers said her most memorable experience from the internship was working on a project that would be used to help the Coast Guard do their jobs more efficiently.
“I got to help develop a software interface to track hoax callers that the Coast Guard would receive. Within the developmental process, (I) was to come up with and program a used interface with a radio finding device.” Ayers said.
As both Britt and Ayers prepare for graduation in May 2017, they can relax knowing that they are almost finished with yet another milestone in their careers. Britt said that after graduation, he plans to have a reporting job out of the state of Georgia.
Ayers said she would like to work in software design or cybersecurity since both fields are wide in opportunities, but she knows that the decision is ultimately up to wherever God wants her to be.
“They are both going into great fields that interest them and that they will do well in, whatever field they choose to work in. Since they are both such great students, I have no doubt they will succeed in their future jobs,” said First Year Experience Coordinator Troyanna Vickers.
