By Linnea Lee, The University of Northwestern—St. Paul
Imagine this:
You wake up on a regular Monday. But instead of going to class, you get to skip—with full permission—and fly to Nashville, the biggest music scene in the United States. You arrive at the airport and fly across the country to experience the biggest music scene in the United States. Well, this represents one of the ways MEL interns experience real-world work and “get upstairs.”
KTIS student interns traveled to Nashville, Tennessee, during March of 2022, and got a taste of what it is like to work on the media side of the music industry. They interviewed and heard stories from some of the biggest names in Christian radio. You read that right. They interviewed artists such as Cory Asbury, Rend Collective, Michael W. Smith, The Afters and For King & Country-just a handful of the artists they interviewed! If interviewing famous musicians is not enticing enough, the interns also got to explore some of the main attractions Nashville has to offer, not to mention, eat some mouthwatering food.
Majoring in anything communications related at The University of Northwestern—St. Paul (UNW) gives students opportunities that they would not have at a regular institution. One of these opportunities is interning with Northwestern Media and KTIS radio.
Elena Nowlin is a third-year communication studies and public relations student. She has been working as the podcast network lead intern for KTIS. The position manages and assists the other student podcast leads. This includes marketing, collaborating with station managers, and social media work. Elena’s internship with KTIS has given her a taste of what it is like to work in both communications and nonprofit careers.
UNW offers their students a strong Christian community. KTIS interns enjoy a unique community of their own.
“I really enjoy the community element of the job. It is very team focused.”
(Elena Nowlin, 2022)
KTIS interns often benefit from exceptional coursework taught by the communication faculty. The Public Relations Cases and Campaigns course, taught by Professor Wendi Marshall, prepared Elena for her role because it allowed her to gain experience working for a real client.
Elena feels equipped and prepared for life post-graduation. Her education and experiences as an intern have given her the knowledge required to take on the workforce. When a student chooses to study a communication related major at UNW, they will have a well-rounded education through the coursework and KTIS internship opportunities.
Visit https://unwsp.edu/academics/schools-and-departments/communication/ to see if the communications industry is for you!
