By: Isabella Sayyah ‘16

The whole idea behind an internship is that it’s a learning experience. This concept, harkening back to the simpler times of apprenticeships, is really, I believe, what keeps the whole practice going. Well, that and the resume-building aspect.

By: Mollie Berg ‘16

Over the past week, I feel like I have really understood the point of an internship. Not too long ago, I spoke with a Carousel employee about the concept of an internship. My boss said that the company essentially is supposed to give something to the interns (via teaching) that the company does not benefit from itself. Sounds simple enough. As interns, we are supposed to walk away having learned skills that will help us in our future. And thankfully, I really feel like I am. More so, the production company I am working for really takes that mission seriously.

By: Isabella Sayyah ‘16

One of the great things about interning at the L.A. Times is that they have a really established internship program that aims to give interns the opportunity to learn everything they can in 10 weeks. Though I learned a lot at my previous two internships, there tended to be less structure because the internship programs weren’t as large.

By: Mollie Berg ‘16

I love the Fourth of July. One, it’s a long weekend (or a day off from work/school), so what’s not to like? But secondly, it’s one of those community/family-oriented holidays. Like Thanksgiving—just less turkey and more fireworks. To celebrate America’s independence (after all, that is what we’re celebrating right??), I met up with my family in Santa Cruz, CA.

By: Vanessa Wilkins ‘15

Hi everyone! So…. June 26th was my birthday! I turned 21 years old, and I had such a fun day! My incredible mother flew in all the way from Atlanta to spend the day with me! I was really excited to see her because I always miss my mom when I’m at school or away from home.

By: Isabella Sayyah ‘16

My family is going away to Palm Springs for the long weekend on Friday, so we decided to have a Fourth of July family barbecue this weekend instead, but with a twist: We were going to pick the fruits and vegetables for the barbecue ourselves (procuring the meat on our own was a little beyond our abilities so we relied on Whole Foods for that part).

By: Isabella Sayyah ‘16

As the excitement of my birthday, Fathers’ Day and graduation for both my sister and brother (middle school and college, respectively) fades away, I’ve slowly gotten settled into a routine. As great as it was to have so many celebrations, the last two weeks since coming home from Israel have been a little exhausting. Now that it’s my third week interning, I also feel like I’ve gotten the hang of it. Since I haven’t really talked much about it beyond my first day, I thought I’d share a little bit about what I do.

By: Vanessa Wilkins ‘15

I love giving back to the community. It is a quality that was instilled in me by my parents at a young age, and something that I always feel the need to do no matter where I am in the world. While game days are fun, and free movie nights are clutch, some of the most meaningful experiences that I’ve had at USC involve giving back to the community.

By: Mollie Berg ‘16

This past Sunday, I went over to my friend Jennifer’s house to tan and hang out. First semester last year, I took a one-unit PE volleyball class for fun (which WAS) really fun, and I met Jen, who is one of the sweetest people I know. It turned out, we lived three doors down from each other in our apartment building, and since then we have been great friends! I ended up going to dinner with her family—her mom, dad, brother, two grandmas and one grandpa—at a really beautiful and delicious restaurant.

By: Mollie Berg ‘16

Today at work, I met Steve Carell. He just came right up to me and said, “Hi, I’m Steve.” Duh, I know you are Steve. Like clearly…who else would you be? I’ve seen you in Little Miss Sunshine, The Office, Crazy, Stupid Love…and much, much more. Also, it shouldn’t be too surprising that he popped into the office; after all, Carousel Productions is his production company—and I do spend four days a week there buying time and reading scripts.

By: Mollie Berg ‘16

This weekend I experienced a weird phenomenon. It was Saturday morning, and I had nothing I had to do—no homework, no finals to study for, and no Daily Trojan meetings. It was strange, because never before had I been in Los Angeles on a weekend, with my car, with absolutely no engagements. I could do anything I wanted, and for the first time, I feel like I really got to know the greatness of the LA area.

By: Isabella Sayyah ‘16

As I arrived at the imposing Los Angeles Times building in downtown L.A. on Monday morning, I thought the feeling in my stomach was just nerves. After all, it was my first day at an amazing internship that I would be dedicating the majority of my summer to. When my hands began to physically shake and the butterflies in my stomach turned to full on nausea, though, I realized it might be something else: jet lag.