Internships across the disciplines are an important part of the educational experience at Cal Lutheran. Oftentimes, they lead to significant job and graduate education opportunities. A few current students and recent graduates share their internship stories.
Major: Political Science and Philosophy / Minor: Legal Studies
Internship: Education Policy Intern, United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions, Washington, D.C.
“I worked with experts in health, education and labor policy, which was a phenomenal chance to network and develop my goals. I’m super grateful to have had this internship because it was a great way for me to prepare myself for law school and future jobs.”
The Internship Experience: Khoury got firsthand experience in the formulation of policy, a better understanding of the American legislative process, and sharper critical and legal analysis skills. He attended briefings and hearings on Capitol Hill, wrote memos and did legislative research.
Cal Lutheran Internship Prep: Philosophy developed Khoury’s critical analysis and writing skills, both vital to the internship. Political Science laid the foundation for understanding the political processes of the Senate. His legal studies minor set him apart from other interns and allowed him to craft verbiage for legislation and critically analyze proposals.
Career Aspirations: The internship validated Khoury’s passion to attend law school, and he now has a new interest in legislative counsel and legal analysis.
Major: Communication
Internship: Investigative Reporting Intern for KCBS/KCAL, Los Angeles
“I love that my internship was unpredictable. One day we could be filming an interview and the next day working undercover on a story. It has also shown me all the time and effort it takes to put together a news story.”
The Internship Experience: Petrus answered tip-line calls from the public and gathered information on potential stories. Part of the job also included stakeouts, where he used hidden cameras to collect footage when his team was working undercover.
Cal Lutheran Internship Prep: The Communication program helped Petrus learn how to set up for an interview and get the best camera angles and shots for different stories. The curriculum prepared him to tackle the real world and allowed him to feel confident going into any situation.
Career Aspirations: The internship affirmed Petrus’s desire to work in the news industry and reach his goal of covering the Los Angeles Lakers as a sports reporter. Even in his entry-level role, he felt that he was making a difference in the community.
Major: Criminology & Criminal Justice
Internship: Ventura County Public Defender’s Office
Currently: Student at Santa Clara School of Law
“Everyone has a different story, different upbringing and different luck. People are worth fighting for, and making sure those punished through our criminal justice system receive a fair sentence is very important to me. This internship solidified my purpose: to make change through my role as a public defender.”
The Internship Experience: Evans assisted with civil compromise and homicide cases, shadowed investigator jail interviews, and conducted conservatorship investigations. She watched court hearings and saw first-hand how the system works.
Cal Lutheran Internship Prep: Evans had exposure to many aspects of the criminal justice system, being taught by a probation officer, defense attorney, retired police chief and retired homicide detective. The Inside Out Prison Exchange Program taught her how those incarcerated feel about the world.
Post-Internship: The internship helped lead Evans to Santa Clara Law with a focus on criminal law and programs such as the Northern California Innocence Project.
Major: Music Production
Internship: Assistant Content Creator for Drum Channel—a drum education website
Currently: Assistant Content Creator, Drum Channel, Oxnard, CA, and Freelance Drummer
“What I loved about my internship was being around the studio, meeting the artists who came in, and making connections. I learn so much by just being there in the room. All these musicians teaching new concepts, and I get to be the one of the three people in the audience!”
The Internship Experience: Frankel assisted in the video shoots—setting up the set, being a camera operator, assisting the audio engineer, and even running audio for a few shoots. He also assisted with editing video and audio.
Cal Lutheran Internship Prep: Frankel’s major taught him the physical aspects of audio engineering and proper studio behavior.
Post-Internship: The internship turned into a job for Frankel. All his contact with musicians has made him a better musician and has inspired the work he does in his own band as they write and record new songs, hoping for their first big break.
Major: Biological Sciences
Internship: COPE Health Scholar and Leader
Currently: Health Informatics Manager at COPE Health Solutions, Scottsdale, AZ and Los Angeles, CA
“My internship absolutely helped me get my new job. My full-time position is heavy computer work. But my employer was impressed to see exposure to patient care on my resume, as there is a lot of crossover with patient care work.”
The Internship Experience: Miles was enrolled in the COPE Health Scholars
Program where she rounded in different hospital units, such as surgery, labor
and delivery and the ICU, providing support to the nursing staff. After several
months, she applied to COPE’s leadership program, where she interviewed new interns, trained them, graded applications and more.
Cal Lutheran Internship Prep: Having a heavy biology background was helpful
in terms of patient care. Miles was able to better understand treatment protocols, diagnoses and pathological features.
Post-Internship: Her internship led to a job in another area of COPE Health Solutions. Miles’ career goal is to be an Infection Preventionist, a job which monitors a hospital’s infection prevention standards, ensuring that staff is trained, educated and kept up to date with epidemiological trends.