DePaul students are building professional skills for success in the global, digital workforce through Virtual International Internships. Born out of the pandemic, this opportunity now complements DePaul’s wide range of in-person traveling study abroad programs, GLE courses, and Global Conversations.
Students gain experience in their professional fields. Olivia Restivo, a film major with a concentration in editing, created and edited videos that teach French language to non-native speakers. Hazel Mangurali, a communication and media major, published two 2,000-word articles weekly with a byline. Jamson Ren, master’s student in entrepreneurship, created social media content focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion and remote hybrid working for a consulting company’s clients.
Students develop career skills, including intercultural competence. Interns manage their tasks and time, meet with supervisors, communicate professionally, and receive feedback all across international borders and time zones. Kaitlyn Lane, communication and media major interned with a medical research group in Spain, creating infographics, editing videos, and writing lay abstracts for publication. Lane says, “I think my intercultural awareness skills grew, too, because there were times when I caught myself going into deliverables with an American audience in mind instead of a Spanish one, and I had to remind myself about how what I was creating would translate to this different audience.” Other students report improving their interpersonal skills, adaptability, and awareness of context.
How it works. Students apply for the Virtual International Internship program on DePaul’s Study Abroad website. Once accepted to the program, they begin interviewing with DePaul’s partner organization CEA Study Abroad who matches students to organizations and specific projects. Students take a 4-credit career preparation course that counts at DePaul for
Experiential Learning or internship courses in several departments. In addition to class requirements, students meet regularly with a CEA career coach and interns from different organizations located in the same country to reflect critically on their experiences. Summer 2022 applications are due April 1.
To learn more. Check out the following: