University of Iowa student Brianna Bentler is a CEA MOJO Blogger and a Virtual Global Intern for an organization in Dublin, Ireland, during the Summer 2021 term. 

Linette Leng, UI undergraduate student pursuing a BA with a double-major in Spanish and interdepartmental studies, isn’t letting the COVID-19 pandemic put a damper on her aspiration to gain relevant, global experience in the form of an international internship. Leng is currently completing a virtual internship at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia in Reggio Emilia, Italy, through USAC. We caught up with Leng to learn more about her experience.

University of Iowa students aren’t letting the current Covid-19 pandemic put a damper on their aspirations to gain relevant, global experience in the form of international internships. While international travel is on hold at the moment, alternatives exist in the form of virtual internships—experiences that offer many of the same aspects of a traditional in-person internship such as interacting with supervisors and colleagues, completing projects, and learning about the host country’s work culture. An added benefit of the virtual internship format is the opportunity for students to gain remote working skills—important to the new reality many professionals face today.

Talk about resume-building experiences! A theatre arts major honing her passion for stage management at a performing arts company. A business analytics and information systems student with an interest in environmental issues getting hands-on experience with data analysis at a renewable energy company.  An aspiring music journalist building her music industry network with an internship at a music management firm. A business major living his dream interning at a sports marketing organization. And the icing on the cake? These students are gaining real-world skills in impressive work environments while living in major global cities abroad.

Aspiring music journalist and University of Iowa student Deja Williams is one step closer to her dream after the summer internship she describes as “the greatest adventure of my life.” Williams recently interned at a music management firm in London, England. We caught up with Williams to learn more.

Devon McNamara recently interned at a communications firm in Dublin, Ireland, where she gained exposure to event planning and management—her intended career field. McNamara recently shared information about her experience in Dublin, as well as advice for other UI students considering an internship abroad.

Ana Arzate (BA French, international studies ’17) completed a global internship in Paris, France, as an undergraduate student at the University of Iowa. Arzate lives in Hiawatha, Iowa, where she works at Channel Fusion as a bilingual client relationship associate. Arzate recently shared thoughts about the value of her internship experience.

Nearly 70 University of Iowa students completed summer internships in their fields of interest. Impressive to be sure, but even more notable is the fact they completed these internships abroad—allowing them to not only gain relevant, global experience, but also to strengthen their intercultural communication skills, build confidence and adaptability, and in many cases, become more proficient in a foreign language. These internships were coordinated through the Institute for the International Education of Students (IES). IES is the international internship provider for the UI and the partnership has seen tremendous success, growing over 40 percent from the first summer in 2016 to the summer of 2018.

Hundreds of University of Iowa students spent their summer completing internships in their chosen fields of interest. However, a smaller group of nearly 70 took their experiences to the next level by completing internships abroad—allowing them to gain relevant, global experience while strengthening their intercultural communication skills, building confidence and adaptability, and becoming more proficient in a second language. Internships abroad are coordinated through IES Internships, a unit of the Institute for the International Education of Students (IES Abroad). IES Abroad is the international internship provider for the UI; student participation in the partnership has grown more than 40 percent since summer in 2016. This past summer, 69 UI students interned in 11 cities around the world through IES Internships.

A marketing and public relations internship with a small start-up company in Paris translated to work experiences that extend beyond typical “intern” duties for Taylor Odekirk, a marketing and journalism student from Waterloo, Iowa. Odekirk worked at Archive Valley, an online platform that connects people with archive resources from around the world. “A highlight of my internship was researching for the launch of Archive Valley’s public relations campaign,” said Odekirk.  She found journalists, news outlets, magazines, and blogs that reach Archive Valley’s target audience of documentary filmmakers and content creators. She also had the opportunity to work with a freelance PR professional who helped her create story pitches and a press release to be used in the campaign.