Name: Emma Loller
Class Year: 2027
Major: Environmental Studies
Minor: Italian
 
Internship Organization: One Fish Foundation
Internship Title:   Communications Intern
Location:  Remote
 
What’s happening at your internship? We would love to hear what kind of work you are doing!  

 I started out just creating social media posts for the One Fish instagram about three times a week. As I got farther into the internship I started getting more responsibilities such as creating content for the monthly newsletter. I also fill in spreadsheets and am helping put together the first edition of a newsletter from a partner organization, Slow Fish North America.

Why did you apply for this internship?  

I didn’t technically apply for this internship. In the spring semester, I took a Praxis course with Dr. Talia Young at Haverford, and through this class we were assigned an internship for the semester as part of our coursework. I ended up enjoying the internship so much that I talked to my supervisors about continuing into the summer. They said they would love to continue to work with me, and this allowed them to give me more responsibilities.

Was there anything special about how you found this internship?

I found this internship through Dr. Talia Young at Haverford, as she is friends with my supervisor, Colles Stowell. Through my course Fish & Community: A Local Praxis, Dr. Young assigned us to an internship for the spring semester. I was paired with One Fish based on my interests. I enjoyed the internship so much throughout the semester that I continued to work with them in the summer too.

What has been your favorite part of this internship?  

My favorite part has been learning about sustainable seafood. One Fish Foundation offers education about sustainable seafood to schools from elementary to undergraduate. My supervisor, Colles, is the one who does this. Because he is an educator, any time he is explaining a post, I get the full lesson on it. This has been my favorite part, learning about seafood from Colles and through my research for my work.    

What is something you have learned from your internship that you didn’t expect? 

I should have expected this, so I’m not sure why it caught me by surprise, but I’ve loved learning about how a small organization works and how so many small organizations are connected. There is a huge network of organizations that advocate for the ocean and it’s been fascinating to learn about them, their missions, and how they work. 

Working remotely for the first time? What has that experience been like for you? 

This was my first time working remotely and there was definitely a bit of a learning curve. I didn’t do well during COVID when school was online so I expected this to be the same. However, it turned out to be completely fine. My supervisors are usually good about communicating, which was my main concern, so once I realized that wouldn’t be an issue, I was able to have a better time with the internship being remote. 

Can you talk about the skills you learned and why they are important to you? 

The main skill I’ve learned is how to communicate information to a broader audience. A lot of the information I work with might be confusing to a general reader, but it is still important nonetheless, so I need to rewrite it in a communicable way. I think this is very valuable, not just for the contents of my internship, but for all information that needs to be communicated.  

What has been the biggest challenge you have faced at your internship? 

While working remotely has been generally fine, it took time to get used to it, so in the beginning, that was the biggest challenge. My supervisors didn’t always communicate exactly what they wanted from a post, so it was difficult at times to execute their vision. However, at the end of the spring semester I was able to talk to them and ask that they communicate with me more. This helped stop any confusion on my end. 

Can you give us three adjectives and three nouns that describe your internship experience?  

Exciting, busy, educational. 

Teacher, audience, fish.

What is most rewarding about your internship?  

The most rewarding part is getting to see my posts or content for newsletters get to be published to social media. Especially when my supervisors don’t make any edits. It tells me that I did a good job and I was able to communicate what my supervisors asked of me, and that is very rewarding.

Was this internship what you expected it to be? 

It was at first. I expected to have minimal work, just doing a couple social media posts. But as the spring turned into summer I got more and more responsibilities and the internship turned into more than I ever expected it to be.