Summer Internships Offer Rich Experience For UNH Students


Contact: Lori Wright
603-862-0574
UNH Media Relations

July 27, 2004



DURHAM, N.H. – If you think all college students spend summer break going home and catching up with friends, think again.

For increasing numbers of college students nationwide and at the University of New Hampshire, summer has become a time to gain valuable career experience and a competitive edge in the job market. Most are now graduating with at least two internships under their belts.

Internships not only help them learn what it’s like working in their prospective field of employment, it also gives them a connection with a company that can lead to a full-time position after graduation.

Journalism major Michele Filgate, ’06, of Barrington, is spending this summer working for Ed Bradley and the production staff at CBS News’s 60 Minutes as a production intern. Filgate, who served as assigning editor at UNH’s student-run newspaper, The New Hampshire last year, works with Bradley’s producers, doing everything from shadowing them to coming up with interview questions and conducting research for upcoming stories.

“It’s really fulfilling to see how it all comes together. You’re transforming a news item into pictures and images, or simple words into something captivating and informational at the same time,” Filgate said. “It’s a challenge, but one that I really enjoy. It inspires me,” she said.

French and international affairs major Eliza Chon, ’05, of Salem, is spending this summer in Washington, D.C., working for the global nongovernmental organization (NGO), Youth Services America researching youth-oriented NGOs to whom her organization provides grants.

Chon’s work has helped her to hone her research skills and focus her career goals. “I hope to bring a lot back after this internship. I hope to apply my research skills to my academic studies, especially with my honors senior thesis. It’s definitely given me a bigger interest to get more involved within the service community in Durham, and most importantly a sense of direction of what my specific career interests are,” Chon said.

Electrical and computer engineering major Jason Dahlstrom, ’06, of Durham, is working for the Northern Seacoast Division of PSNH. He’s responsible for figuring out what needs to happen from an electrical engineering perspective for any upgrades or repairs made to the northern seacoast area’s electrical system.

Working at PSNH has given him insight into the planning necessary to implement large-scale engineering projects. “When you design something, so many other people are involved in implementing it. I’m amazed at the diversity of skills that are necessary to make thins happen,” Dahlstrom said.
For information on UNH internship programs and opportunities contact internship coordinator Dierdre Foyle-Lyder, at 603-862-0271, or dierdre.foyle@unh