My ATLAS internship experience taught me valuable skills and knowledge
Raevianna Davis is a senior majoring in English. She currently works as the communications intern at Motorola Solutions in the U of I Research Park, after having a successful experience with the ATLAS internship program.
The College of Liberal Arts & Sciences provides its students with a variety of resume-building opportunities. One of these is the ATLAS Internship Program. Over the Spring 2020 semester, I had the incredible opportunity to complete my very first internship through this program.
The cool thing about the ATLAS internship program is that it is specifically for LAS students. The purpose of the program is to help students build essential workplace skills by exposing them to technology. Even better, there are no GPA requirements or prior experience necessary to apply!
As a junior year transfer student, I worried about my lack of internship experience. Thus, the ATLAS program was exactly what I needed. Near the end of the Fall 2020 semester, I decided to apply. I found the application process to be straightforward and easy. Once I filled out questions about what I was looking for in an internship, I waited to hear back from one of the student coordinators. Shortly after I sent in the application, I went in for an interview.
In December, I found out I'd be the marketing and communications intern at a new center at the university, the Humanities Professional Resource Center. This center offers career advising and opportunities specifically focused on humanities students. My first day was in January. During my time at the center, I spent 10 hours a week promoting its resources and events to humanities majors. Everyday, I created promotional materials for digital and print displays. I also managed and created content for social media. On a weekly basis, I communicated with other departments to increase student attendance at events, wrote blog articles, and strategized the launch of the center's social media accounts.
Over the semester, I learned how to communicate through writing and design. Before this internship, I had only ever written English papers. I also had no previous design experience. It’s crazy to think that in just five months, I had writing samples and design experience under my belt—two things that I can now display on my resume, in cover letters, and in a writing portfolio.
While my ATLAS internship has ended, I am now a communications intern at a global tech company housed in the university’s Research Park. It’s safe to say my ATLAS internship experience allowed me to gain skills and knowledge that helped me stand out to my current employer.
I couldn’t be happier with the time I spent with the ATLAS internship program and am glad for the opportunities I've found as an LAS student at the University of Illinois.