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New internship program brings students to the Big Apple

Frank Sinatra’s famous words ring true for five Liberty University students who spent last summer in the Big Apple: If you can make it in New York City, you can make it anywhere.

The students were part of the launch of the Career Center’s New York City Fellowship program and worked at Fox News’ New York City bureau. The fellowship program mirrors the already established Washington (D.C.) Fellowship, providing valuable internship experience in one of America’s major cities.

Currently, the New York City Fellowship is geared toward students studying communications and business. As the program builds, the Career Center is working to create more partnerships with organizations, including local churches, and to expand it to more academic disciplines.

“New York is a really hard place to break into if you don’t have connections,” said Kate Thompson, director of experiential learning at the Career Center. “What we’re trying to do is bring in some of our very motivated, very intentional, eager students into this fold.”

Securing an internship in New York City can be hard for out-of-state students, according to Thompson. Many organizations won’t consider candidates who don’t already live near the city, and it can be nearly impossible to find housing otherwise. Participants in Liberty’s new program are provided housing in Manhattan’s Upper East Side.

Thompson brings a unique experience to her role. After graduating from Syracuse University, she moved to New York City and worked as a logistics manager for Bloomingdale’s. Though she now calls Lynchburg home, Thompson is using the connections she made to help Liberty interns settle into life in New York.

“It’s a scary process if you have never lived in New York,” Thompson said. “I can tell our students that I’m from small-town New Hampshire, and I moved to (New York) and loved it. I try to share with them how exciting and what a great opportunity it is, and that it’s not as scary as they think; they can do this.”

Senior Ben Henderson, who is studying finance, worked as an accountant on the 27th floor at Fox News.

Ben Henderson in front of the Fox News office in New York City.

“As a finance major, I wanted to have an internship on my resume that was competitive, and I knew I’d be working alongside students from Ivy League schools,” Henderson said. “I saw Fox News as a great opportunity. Most people don’t realize that networks such as Fox and CNN are multimillion-dollar organizations that have accountant jobs available.”

For senior Brittany Specht, working at Fox News was a dream come true. Specht, who is studying digital media with a concentration in performance, said she aspires to be on “Fox & Friends.” This summer, she worked on the production team of “The Greg Gutfeld Show.”

“It was interesting being able to work behind the scenes,” she said. “Everyone I worked with was so welcoming and wanted to teach me things like line production and the switchboard.”

When she returned to Lynchburg this semester, Specht said she was excited to tell her professors how well they had prepared her for the internship.

“I got so many compliments on the work I was doing and how I was ahead of some of the other interns,” she said. “Sometimes, you don’t realize how what you’re learning in class can be applied to real-life situations, and this internship helped me see how important the things are that we are learning.”

Thompson said the New York City Fellowship is a chance for Liberty students to stand out to potential employers.

“The statistics are staggering; 72 percent of interns are offered a full-time job,” Thompson said. “This opens up huge doors for students to be employed full time in New York City.”

For Henderson, landing a career in New York City is the end goal.

“New York is the crown jewel of the financial world because you have Wall Street,” he said. “Being in New York was the atmosphere I wanted to be in.”

But the fellowship is also a chance to be a witness for Christ outside of Liberty’s campus by setting a good example in the workplace, Thompson said.

“We need to be salt and light in the places that aren’t bright and don’t have that strong Christian connection like Lynchburg,” she said. “New York is one of those places. It’s not an easy place to be a Christian, but it’s so important for Christians to be there.”

The New York City Fellowship is currently accepting applicants for Summer 2018. Students interested in applying should visit the fellowship’s website

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