Moments after senior journalism major from Texas, Mireya Saenz’s email buzz went off, she looked down to check it and her face immediately lit up.

“I got it!” she cried excitedly. After applying for a slew of summer internships, she had just received news she had been hoping for—KVITV in El Paso, Texas had offered her a paid summer internship.

Internships are a great way to get experience and make connections that will help students start a career once they graduate. According to DU Career Services, employers gave 58.6 percent of their interns full-time jobs once the internship ended, and students who interned typically received salaries for their first jobs that are 10 to 20 percent higher than non-internship-holding counterparts.

Saenz has had several paid internships during her time at DU. These include time at Telemundo Denver and Denver Promo Studios. Her internship experience gives her a knowledgeable perspective from which to offer advice to other students at DU.

“There are more unpaid than paid, so students need to be extremely proactive and apply with a lot of time in advance,” said Saenz. “Especially with the quarter system, you have to remember that while we may have a lot of time until summer, other students get out weeks earlier.”

Saenz got most of her paid internships through recommendations from her mentor, Larressa Watlington, a professor in the Media, Film and Journalism Studies department. While a student in Watlington’s class, Saenz approached her and explained her career goals, and Watlington helped Saenz get on the right track.

“Really try to make connections to the staff and faculty in your department. They have a lot of great connections and a lot of tips for successfully landing a good internship that is also paid,” said Saenz. “Also make sure to coordinate a lot with the internship coordinator. That’s what they’re here for.”

Jen Lee, junior hospitality major from Beverly Hills, California, also emphasized the use of networking when looking for an internship. She worked at the Beverly Hills SLS Luxury Collection Hotel and has an internship this summer at the Grand Hyatt in downtown Denver.

Lee got them both from connections she made at the Hospitality Restaurant and Tourism Management Career Fairs she attended.

“If they are interested, they are going to contact you first,” said Lee. “If they don’t, but you are still interested in working for them, you should follow up and contact them to see if there are any opportunities.”

Although making connections at career fairs helped Lee get her internships, the DU faculty also played a part. When an internship offer fell through, Lee’s advisor was able to contact the hotel chain and get her another one.

“It’s important to have a supportive advisor. Even though you may get opportunities from career fairs, you never know if you will work for the property until you get into a contract,” said Lee.

Paid internships are always preferable, of course, but also sparse. For some students, especially underclassmen, the pool of unpaid internships will be far more accessible. However, this is not necessarily a bad thing.

“Payment is important, but for freshman and sophomores, experience is the essential thing that you are looking for. Try to find out what you are really passionate about,” said Lee. “Paid internships generally aren’t going to hire someone with no experience. It’s all about practical experiences, not necessarily the knowledge you get from a textbook.”
Lee completed two unpaid internships before she received her first paid one.

For some students, full-time unpaid internships may not work due to work conflicts. However, Saenz overcame this by seeking opportunities that fit around her schedule.

“Because I’m a working student and I have to work, I found unpaid internships that are really flexible with me. They allowed me to continue working while also getting that experience. It’s all about hands-on experience and wherever you can get that is where you should go,” she said.

DU also has a program by which students partaking in unpaid internships can receive money through the school for their work. The program is called University Career Center Summer Internship Award Program, and students can apply to receive payment for working 200 hours or more at an unpaid internship.

The DU Career Center suggests identifying the type of internship that you are looking for and then searching databases and websites to try and find opportunities. Reaching out to contacts or even pitching an idea for an internship that doesn’t yet exist may also provide unique opportunities, according to the Career Center.

Overall, students must be proactive and conduct their search through various techniques in order to have the best chance at a paid internship.

As for Saenz’s summer internship, she has yet to make a decision. But at least she has this decision to make.