Internship Stories: Melina Bunting

One of the ways that Deakin students can gain industry insights and experience is through our Work Integrated Learning (WIL) programs. There are a range of internship opportunities advertised at any given time and students always come away with valuable knowledge and increased networks to draw upon throughout their study and after graduation.

Below, Bachelor of Arts (Professional and Creative Writing) student, Melina Bunting shares her insights from a recent internship with the Research Communications team at Deakin’s Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research. As Melina has shared here, undertaking an internship can lead to great opportunities!

In Trimester 3 2018-2019, I completed an internship with Deakin’s Research Communications team (Office of the DVC Research). 

My main task was to write articles about research happening at Deakin. At first, I felt like I’d been thrown in the deep end because in order to write the articles, I had to interview academics about their craft.

I was terrified. What if they thought I was stupid, or unprofessional?

This challenge ended up being great for developing my confidence and professional practice. Because I wanted to do my job well, it forced me to reach out to my mentors and ask for help, an important skill in any field of work.

I also saw how my creative writing skills were transferrable to a more corporate writing scenario. Even though the articles needed to be factual, I could still add flair by using interesting words.

I now work with Research Communications as the editor of their website, Disruptr, which is a Deakin University research-centred platform. Sometimes we publish pieces that academics write themselves. In those cases, I liaise with them to make sure their work is coming across in the best possible way for our intended audience.

I’m also one of a team of writers that produces digital content for the platform, celebrating research happening at Deakin, and the academics behind it.

You can check out the Disruptr website here: https://disruptr.deakin.edu.au

Thanks to Melina for so generously sharing her insights here.

For students who are keen to find out more about internship opportunities in the Faculty of Arts and Education, you can contact the Work Integrated Learning (WIL) team – contact details available here. They are always happy to help!

 

*Featured Image (Cover) by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash