From www.taylor.edu - Taylor University, integrating faith and learning
Equipped for Impact

Equipped for Impact

by Jonathan Schelander

Taylor senior Katy Andres chose an internship in the political headquarters of the country-Washington, DC-for all of the potential networking opportunities and because D.C. is known as a hub for documentary filmmakers. What she also found were invaluable learning experiences and a newfound appreciation for her education at Taylor.

Katy's internship was with the Leadership Institute, a conservative, non-profit educational organization. She worked in their production house, called LI Studios, which includes a TV studio, a control room, two Avid edit suites, and an audio suite. Katy was LI Studio's first intern to already have production experience, so her bosses were able to spend time teaching her more in-depth production practices and other aspects of the business, such as writing and pitching client proposals and working on documentary films. Katy says she's thankful for the foundation Taylor provided.

"Taylor prepared me with the time management skills, production foundation and interpersonal skills to equip me in the workplace. The internship let me put those to use in working with clients, deadlines, assignments, and collaborating on ideas with co-workers, and supervisors."

Networking was a key factor in Katy's experience with this internship. To start, she found out about the internship from a filmmaker during the Sundance Film Festival which she attended with a group of media communication majors. While she was in DC, Katy took advantage of the many media seminars and workshops available to her for networking. Katy used the informational interviewing techniques she had learned in her Senior Capstone class to have three helpful interviews with National Geographic, Discovery and PBS, and she was invited to join a women's networking group through a Congressional press secretary.

Katy enjoyed living in Washington, DC with 13 other people in a house close to lots of things to do. However, she found herself being stretched spiritually as she encountered a very different environment from Taylor's community. She stayed focused by keeping herself in God's Word everyday.

"It was so cool to have Scripture running through my head throughout the day, being able to meditate on it in the midst of the differing beliefs, lifestyles and day-to-day work environment around me."

D.C. held another challenge for Katy. She felt the competitive, ladder-climbing nature of the city. "I needed to rest in God's grace" and not succumb to temptations of selfish ambition.

Being in Washington, D.C., Katy learned a lot about politics and U.S. history. From visiting museums to kayaking down the Potomac River past the Washington monuments, she took full advantage of living in the country's capital.

The climax of the summer was landing a paid opportunity to edit a documentary on Capitol Hill. Katy says she "stayed two weeks past my internship and freelanced with a production company that is currently working on five feature documentaries this year. The job affirmed the gifts God's given me and the skills I've developed at Taylor."