Whether students have a clear vision for their future, or need help finding their career path, internships can help them explore their options.

For Jeanette Yue (B.A., communication and psychology, ’18), internships were crucial to figuring out how to make writing a career. “Taking classes isn’t good enough to learn what it’s like to be a full-time writer. Actual hands-on experience is really valuable,” she said.

Yue arrived on campus with an interest in journalism and was soon writing opinion columns for Davis Beat, an independent campus newspaper, and The California Aggie. Interested in exploring other kinds of writing, she took on two internships. Through the University Writing Program, she landed her first with the College of Letters and Science’s Strategic Marketing and Communications team.

Off campus, an internship with Sacramento nonprofit Opening Doors showed Yue a new way to use her writing skills — helping refugees, immigrants, human trafficking survivors, and other underserved populations. Yue is now seeking a full-time position at a nonprofit in the Bay Area.

“I’m really glad I had these internships,” she said. “They’ve given me confidence in my experience and skills, and I’m confident I can go out and get my own opportunities.”

— Becky Oskin, content strategist in the College of Letters and Science