Food, Fun, and Networking
Although the main focus of an internship is to gain work experience, it is also important to have fun and socialize. At WGBH, there are company-wide events known as “speakeasy” events (free lunch and social), monthly meet-ups to present on recent occurrences within the company, and food trucks and live music events once a month for employees to let loose. There is also an internship program that hosts a number of events for interns to attend and connect with each other. The internship program was a good part of my experience because at the beginning of my internship, the program hosted an orientation where I got to learn about WGBH, have icebreakers and bonding experiences with interns from other departments that I otherwise would not have met, and I was taken on a tour of the company including the radio and news studios. In terms of regular intern events, there were “brown bag lunches” every two weeks. For these events, interns would bring their own lunch and listen to guest speakers, which were full time employees from different departments each time speak about their lives, current and past work experiences and how they became employees at WGBH. These events were great networking events and helped me make new friends during the summer.