Merrie Go Round and I at the Executive Mansion with Gov. Cooper and his wife.
I’m not sure how to begin to summarize the summer I’ve spent interning with the N.C. State Government Internship Program. To say I’ve gained experience in the real world by working with the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services State Fair Division is an incredible understatement. Here’s why.
Throughout my internship, I attended press conferences, directed a video shoot at Food Lion and even met Gov. Roy Cooper at the Executive Mansion. Along the way, I improved my skills as a writer, an interviewer and a videographer. Not to mention I managed a grassroots high school advertising campaign! But the most valuable aspect of the position to me was that it allowed me to cover topics I truly care about – involving North Carolina’s traditions and history – in a way that I could make my ideas for a video into a reality. I think I take the gold for best internship this summer.
Everyone around me always stresses the importance of internships because they give you skills you “can’t learn in the classroom.” Working in the Public Affairs Office has confirmed this statement for me. However, nobody warned me that leaving my internship would mean leaving behind some of the kindest and most helpful people, like Merrie Go Round, Flying Bob and Funhouse, and give me a newfound interest in working for the state.
Not only have Flying Bob, Merrie Go Round and Funhouse welcomed me into their office, guided me and treated me as an equal, but they’ve also shown me how much people rely on government employees to provide them with information about their safety, upcoming changes and important events. They have acted as great examples of the hardworking people who work for the government and their crucial role within our state, in addition to being fun coworkers. I feel incredibly grateful to have worked with them this summer.
Although next semester will bring many exciting adventures as I study abroad in Spain, I will really miss producing content for the State Fair alongside these people. I’ve learned invaluable skills that I’m sure will benefit me down the road. But most importantly, I think the work we’ve put into this summer will produce an amazing 150th State Fair, possibly the best fair yet, and I can’t wait to see the result.
