An Iowa College in the Liberal Arts Tradition
Internships
Internships are ways of looking toward the future. Internships provide both learning opportunities and career exploration as a way for preparing for the future. English majors and minors complete both credit and non-credit internships at a wide range of local, regional, and national sites. One academic internship (English 380) can be applied to the English major. All internships require a completed application available at the Luther College Career Center.
Recent Internship Locations
- 1517 Media (Minneapolis, MN)
- Inspire(d) magazine (Decorah, Iowa)
- The Norwegian American (Seattle, WA)
- Teaching English as a second language with China Service Ventures
- North American Review (Cedar Falls, IA)
- World Council of Churches (New York, NY)
For further information, contact Lise Kildegaard, English Department Chair.
Hanna Dodd
When: February - May, 2021
Where: 1517 Media, Sparkhouse Imprint, Minneapolis, MN (but working remotely from Luther)
Major: English
Throughout the spring of 2021, Hanna worked as an editorial intern at 1517 Media in the Sparkhouse division. During her internship, she helped create content for children ages preschool through high school in the form of crafts and activities, reading guides for Sparkhouse books, and worksheets to engage in Sparkhouse curriculum. She participated in meetings with the entire Sparkhouse department and got to see how a publishing company functions - from shipment and printing, to development and creating mock-ups of new products. Hanna had the pleasure of working with several Luther alumni, including her supervisor, Erin Gibbons '08. This internship gave Hanna insight into the publishing industry, as well as experience to propel her career ambitions forward.
Emma Schlabach
When: January 2017
Where: Lanesboro Arts in Lanesboro, MN
Major: English
In January, Emma worked as an administrative intern at Lanesboro Arts. During her internship she reorganized the office filing system, helped maintain the website, wrote press releases, scheduled posts on social media, aided in grant writing, and helped install the Smithsonian Water/Ways exhibit. One of her projects was writing content for the website on the history of the organization. This involved interviewing staff as well as reading through old newspaper articles. An important skill Emma learned through this process was how to communicate in a variety of mediums, with an emphasis on clarity. Another rewarding part of her internship was working with so many great people, particularly alumna Kara Maloney ’16. Kara was Emma’s supervisor for this internship, and served as a supportive mentor. Lanesboro is a small, tight-knit community, so Emma was able to make many other wonderful connections. This experience shaped her post-graduation ambitions.
Jane Peña
When: Summer 2016
Where: Playwrights’ Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Major: English
Jane spent this past summer working as an artistic intern for the Playwrights’ Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The nonprofit organization helps playwrights around the country develop new projects by hosting workshops, seminars, master classes, and providing other writing resources. Jane’s main duties included stage managing and researching playwriting opportunities for the Center to promote to its members. Through this experience, Jane gained experience in management and organization, as well as familiarity with the collaborative writing process. She felt that the opportunity to witness the creation of art and process of artistic discovery firsthand was especially rewarding. Jane enjoyed spending every day among people who are even more passionate about theatre than she is, and seeing new stories and ideas take shape. Working at the Playwrights’ Center helped Jane discover that there is an abundance of unique ways she could use her major beyond just teaching or writing, all of which would allow her to continue expressing her creativity and contributing to the world artistically.