Faith Gamble, New Media and Communication Technology Major

2017 IRTS fellow and Client Solutions Manager Intern for Facebook

During my time at Ohio State I have struggled to find internship opportunities. I am very passionate about music and other channels of media, so I knew that I wanted to work in this industry. The International Radio and Television Society Foundation was the perfect chance for me to work for a media company. Not to mention the fact that the program pays for your housing in New York, travel expenses and finds you an internship that fits within your future goals. After three rounds of applications and interviews I was admitted into the program and given the chance to interview with Facebook. When the director of the program told me Facebook wanted to interview me, I thought to myself “Wow, really? Facebook wants to interview me? I don’t think I’m smart enough for their internship.” Five months later I am interning for an amazing company and having the best time of my life here in New York City. 

An Unforgettable Experience
The first week of the IRTS Summer Fellowship was a huge eye opener. We spent the first week traveling to different companies and gaining full-time “real world” experience at New York-based media corporations. There are 33 of us in the fellowship, ranging from undergraduate to graduate students all striving to work in fields of broadcasting, advertising, digital media, etc. During this week we were able to visit Google, Facebook, Complex, HBO, Spotify, Nielsen, Active International, CNBC, and JP Morgan Chase, and we vwere a part of the Good Morning America audience. We participated in mock interviews, heard success stories from those in the industry and were able to network with professionals I never even imagined meeting.

I started my internship with Facebook a little late, so I will touch more on my internship in my next post after I have some more time to gain experience at the company. I still attend weekly events and meetings with IRTS and am continuing to build connections that I believe will be crucial to my future success. Every day I push myself out of my comfort zone. I meet with professionals and ask them about their careers or their road to getting there. Forcing myself to connect with as many people as I can has allowed me to grow more each day.

Trust your process
Although my peers were gaining amazing opportunities in Columbus, I was not, and I felt I was never going to get an internship. I was applying for the same companies they were, not because I wanted to truly work there but because I thought it was the safer route to follow. But once I began applying for fellowships and internships that better aligned with my goals, I experienced a huge shift in success. Trusting myself and accepting that my career path would not be the same as everyone else’s allowed me find opportunities I did not know existed. Now I am happier than ever and working in a field that allows me to be my genuine self.