Through the Governor’s Hispanic Fellows Program, Georgian Court University students Sabrina Cruz and Bianchi Valdez worked as interns for New Jersey’s state government this summer. This primary purpose of the program is to develop leadership skills of participating students.
Participants like Sabrina and Bianchi are placed with a variety of corporations, such as AT&T, Wells Fargo, and ETS. “In each location we have workshops that prepared us to be better leaders,” Bianchi stated. “We met speakers from everywhere and we networked in each and every location.”
While Sabrina is a psychology major and Bianchi is a digital communication major, both found that their educational backgrounds were helpful in on-the-job training.
“I am able to work with a diverse group of people going through rough times,” stated Bianchi. “I use skills I learned in class to comfort and guide each person walking through the doors.”
One of the organizations Bianchi interned with was Frontline Entertainment Agency, which works with upcoming artists and has a variety of different partnerships. “I have basically done a lot of video editing and Photoshop graphics,” she explained. “I edited videos for boxers and artists, and helped create a banner for Plum Radio that was used at their conference.”
Bianchi believes her eclectic background at GCU has helped her achieve success. “The internship actually goes hand in hand with everything I have learned at GCU, whether it is in my communication courses, graphic design courses, or extracurricular activities,” she stated. “I have used a mixture of all to stand out from the crowd and I am well prepared for any projects they assign me.”
While both students have used what they learned at GCU, they have also each taken away something unique from the experience of the program. “The biggest lesson that I have learned on the job is that you are literally on the job 24/7. You are a representation of who you are working for wherever you go,” stated Bianchi.
“My job has opened my eyes and shown me the real issues this world faces,” added Sabrina. “It has helped me because I want to advocate for people and I know these issues are imperative.”
