ENG 495 gives students the opportunity to get hands-on experience in a field related to English studies. The Department of English matches a student intern with an appropriate host organization, and depending on the host’s needs, the intern spends the semester assisting with writing, editing, copyediting, research, public relations, and other communications-oriented tasks.
Interns commit to working 8-12 hours each week for their host organizations. These are unpaid internships; students in the program earn three academic credits, and the internship experience counts as one of the 400-level electives for the English major. Students who qualify for the internship program are usually in the final semesters their degree programs at the university. They are mature, professional, and well prepared to take on appropriate responsibilities.
The host organization plays a direct supervisory role with the intern, assigning work and giving feedback as necessary. The UHM-based supervisor of the internship program remains in contact with the students throughout the semester and is always available if questions or concerns arise. Interns send the supervisor weekly reports on their activities, and they write a mid-semester and final report on their experience. Depending on the nature of their work, they also compile a portfolio of work they have completed during their time with the host organization.
Sponsoring an intern requires hosts to devote time to orienting and supervising a temporary staff member, so we strive to place only the strongest students with our community partners. Students must first interview with the UHM-based supervisor and submit a sample of their writing. The host organization will then interview the prospective intern, and may decline to take on students how appear to be unsuitable for the position.
Internships offer invaluable experience with the day-to-day operations of the kind of publications, businesses, and organizations in which English majors and minors typically seek employment. An internship on your resume and a strong letter of recommendation from your host will give you an advantage when you’re applying for jobs.
You will need an override to enroll in ENG 495. Please contact John David Zuern at zuern@hawaii.edu if you’d like to pursue an internship this coming semester.
In addition to the hosts listed below, you may organize your own internship with an organization you identify yourself. All internship arrangements have to be approved by the UHM supervisors of the internship program.
UHM Internship Program Hosts
(at the discretion of the supervisor of ENG 495, students may conduct internships with other organizations)
Devoted to issues of concern to seniors living in Hawai‘i, Generations offers interns opportunities to research, write, edit copy, proofread, plan events, and brainstorm ideas for future issues.
Hawaii Book and Music Festival (spring semesters only)
The Hawai‘i Book and Music Festival employs two UHM interns to help plan this large-scale event, which takes place in May. Interns write biographies of participants, contribute copy to the festival program and Web site, maintain the festival’s presence on social media, and help in other ways with promotion for the event.
This magazine devoted to remodeling, architecture, and landscaping in Hawai‘i has been an excellent host for several UHM interns, who get hands-on experience in magazine publishing and writing. Each intern has been assigned articles that have appeared in the publication, so this internship is a great way to start building a portfolio.
Hawai‘i Language Roadmap Initiative
This UHM-based project seeks to raise awareness to the importance of language diversity to the cultural and economic vitality of Hawai‘i. The internship involves interviewing members of the community, writing articles and blog posts, and planning events. Although not required, knowledge of another language and/or commitment to language-learning would make this internship even more enriching.
This organization promotes literacy among adults and children throughout the community through various programs, a book mobile, and libraries located in public housing projects in Honolulu. Interns assist with event planning, publicity, grant writing, and the operations of the libraries.
This publisher focuses largely on visitors to Hawaii, with publications like the Hawaii Drive Guides and Spotlight’s Hawaii Guides. The internship involves writing, proofreading, editing, image editing, layout, and design.
Working for the UHM campus newspaper gives you the opportunity to publish work quickly and to gain writing, copy editing, and interviewing experience.
Mānoa: A Pacific Journal of International Writing
Published by UH Press, this journal publishes fiction, poetry, and nonfiction from throughout the world. Interns gain hands-on experience with the proofreading, editing, planning, and production processes that go into producing a high-quality literary periodical.
This print and online publication offers interns a chance to gain experience with writing, proofreading, and editing for a magazine with a focus on fashion, lifestyle, travel, and food.
Nella Media Group/FLUX Magazine
Nella Media Group publishes the lifestyle magazine FLUX along with Innov8, the Go! Mokulele in-flight magazine, and the Chinatown Newspaper. Interns with NMG get access to all the dimensions of magazine publishing and are assigned articles that appear in NMG publications. All our interns with NMG have had enriching experiences.
Pacific New Media, UHM Outreach College
This program runs workshops on Web design, photography, social media, and other media-intensive topics. Interns work on event planning, social media writing, video production, and other support activities. The staff at PNM is supportive and dynamic, and the internship will put you in touch with media and technology leaders here in Hawai‘i and throughout the US.
An organization devoted to encouraging adults to read aloud to children run by former Hawai‘i First Lady Lynn Waihee, Read to Me is a new internship partner for us. Tasks would include writing, editing, event planning, and public relations.
Working closely with Oʻahu chapter coordinator Stuart Coleman, this intern will help support the ocean-focused public education and advocacy work of the Surfrider foundation. Stuart is a successful writer with years of experience in publishing and freelancing.
Tinfish publishes books of experimental poetry, often focused on the Pacific region, broadly defined. Interns help with copy editing, proofreading, production, and event planning and gain valuable experience with the world of small presses.
In the words of one of its founders, Matt Luttrell, this print and online surf culture magazine is “an ambitious new media startup, focused on surfing, that looks to harmonize the beauty of a print publication with a powerful app exploring the magazine’s subjects via short film.” This internship involves research, writing, copy editing, interview transcription, and layout.