Featured Interns

Vanessa Yeager - Minnesota Zoo, Minneapolis, MN

To some people, training dolphins might sound like a dream. To Vanessa Yeager, it was not only that, but the opportunity of a lifetime as well. Vanessa is a junior Liberal Studies major, and this past summer she worked as a Marine Mammal Intern at the Minnesota Zoo.  Vanessa’s summer days consisted of spending long hours in a wetsuit, sorting through hundreds of fish…and training bottlenose dolphins.  Not only did Vanessa play with and train the dolphins, but she also got to direct dolphin shows at the Zoo. During the shows, Vanessa’s favorite part was doing Semo’s (one of the dolphins) fluke splash.  A fluke splash is when Vanessa would hold a target pole over the pool, and as Semo swam by, she would slap the water with the pole. This would cause Semo to splash his fluke in the water, causing a “monsoon” of water to drench Vanessa. 

Although Vanessa had a wonderful time during her summer internship at the Zoo, it wasn’t all fun and games; she learned a lot as well. There are many important ideas that go into dolphin training, such as operant conditioning and using positive and negative reinforcement. Vanessa said that, “trainers need to be really conscious of what’s going on, because just being present in the pool area can be reinforcement for the negative behavior of a dolphin”.

After graduation next year, Vanessa wants to go to graduate school to become a marine mammal veterinarian. Her internship at the Minnesota Zoo has given her valuable experience in her field of interest, as well as helped her meet people who may play a pivotal role in her acceptance to graduate school.

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Kristin Haubrich - Waterman Broadcasting, Fort Myers, Florida

Current CSB senior Kristin Haubrich recently had the opportunity to work as an intern for Waterman Broadcasting in Fort Myers, Florida. While some may have been relaxing at the beach, Kristin was hard at work for the television stations ABC-7 and NBC-2. Over the course of a month, Kristin saw first-hand all of the elements that make up an evening news program.

A typical day for Kristin started at 9:15 in the morning with an employee meeting. Each reporter pitched the story he or she wished to investigate for the broadcast later that evening. Kristin listened to each story and decided which one she would like to work on. She then paired up with that reporter and spent approximately an hour researching facts and background information for the story. After Kristin and the reporter had all of the information they needed, they loaded up the news truck and headed out to the site. Exciting experiences for Kristin included: interviewing the President of the Department of Children and Families about the murder of a child under their care; riding in the Police Department’s new $80,000 speed boat; and visiting the backyard where a dog barely survived being viciously attacked by an alligator.   She also wrote stories for the NBC-2 website. To do this, she filmed interviews and voice-over sound bytes, then went back to the station to write and put the story together. After Kristin turned in her finished project, it was edited and put on the website within twenty minutes.

This internship experience made Kristin aware of the demands of being a news reporter. Reporters are always on the go and out on the field and they must be willing to move. Kristin also knows that appearance is a large factor on where a person gets placed to work. After this internship, Kristin is excited about pursuing a career in reporting. To view Kristin’s work.

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Katie McMurray - The Community of Sant 'Egidio, Rome, Italy

“When in Rome” is a popular saying that many of us have heard but there are only a few of us have actually been able to say it and mean it.  Fortunately for her, Katie McMurray is one of those lucky people.  Over the summer of 2007, Katie spent seven weeks in Rome, Italy interning at the Community of Sant ‘Egidio serving the Italian community through various forms of volunteer work.  Katie stumbled upon this internship through family friends who were able to experience the uniqueness of the Italian community and started a similar one here in Minnesota.  Katie jumped on the opportunity to make a difference in the world and off she went to Italy.

One of the best things about Katie’s internship was her ability to connect with people.  “I liked telling people about the community, sharing its history and explaining what the community does today internationally and in Rome,” says Katie.  Her daily tasks, besides enjoying her beautiful surroundings, included: working at a soup kitchen, making food packages for the homeless, working at “School of Peace” an after school program, and spending time with people of the community.

While she was in Italy, Katie stayed with a host family whom she met through her family friends.  She described her experience as eye-opening and enjoyed her sense of independence and her opportunity to constantly meet new people.  Katie has used this internship toward her goal of a Peace Studies major but also has walked away with so much more.  This internship has provided Katie with a diverse world experience and has made a positive difference in her life and the life of the community.  As Katie says, and many of us would agree: “Peace is wonderful”.

                                Summer 2007                                            New Friends

                                 Enjoying Rome                               Spending time with the Locals

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Kristi Curry - CMT Radio Network in Nashville, TN

Interviewing country music stars like Rascal Flatts, Gretchen Wilson, and Joe Nichols is just part of the job description for CSB senior, Kristi Curry.  Interning this spring 2007, at CMT Radio Network in Nashville, Tennessee, Kristi says has been a “dream come true”.  Kristi heard of this internship on a St. Cloud radio station.  Kristi decided to go to the CMT website and send in her application for fun.  Much to her surprise, CMT contacted her and before she knew it, she was on her way to Nashville. 

Having always loved country music, Kristi knew she would love applying her work to her hobby, and in what better place than country music city!  Kristi works with multiple other interns sending out daily prep sheets containing information on country artists, CMT and entertainment.  She writes history and random facts pertaining to each day and interesting facts about the top 20 countdown artists.  “I definitely have learned so much about the country music world and communication field,” said Kristi. “Also, since I live out here by myself and moved here without knowing anyone in this area, I have become very independent.”

Kristi was easily able to find affordable housing through her boss at CMT.  She’s hoping to get a job with CMT, or another organization, in Nashville after graduation.  “I really like the area and would enjoy working in country music for a long time.”  As for now, she’ll continue living out her dream and interviewing stars such as Toby Keith, Sammy Kershaw and Sugarland all because of a spectacular internship opportunity!

       Interns at the Big and Rich Concert                        Lance Smith and Joe Nichols

          CMT Building in Nashville, TN                              Lance Smith and Gretchen Wilson          

              Interns with Joe Nichols                                 Interns with Eddie Montgomery

         Lance Smith and Bucky Covington                                     Taylor Swift