Student Projects

-INTERNSHIP TEMPORARILY ON HOLD-

Nick Orlando
Student: Nick Orlando
Organization: Sunscreen Film Festival
Semester: Fall 2014
Project: Working with the Sunscreen Film Festival not only gave me the opportunity to be involved with planning a large festival, but it also allowed me to experience a local film community about which I had known nothing. I was aware of a local arts community, but it wasn’t until my internship with the Sunscreen Film Festival that I realized how much film flourished. I was given the chance to work directly with the films submitted for the festival, working as a screener and providing feedback on each film I reviewed. I was also in charge of making changes and additions to the Sunscreen website. The Internship program through USF has provided me with invaluable experience in event planning and marketing, two career paths that have recently drawn my interest. It has also given me a new found aspiration to work either behind the scenes in the film industry or another area within the arts.Portfolio Reflection

 

Michi Wischnewski
Student: Michi Wischnewski
Organization: Sweetwater Organic Farm
Semester: Spring 2014
Project: The experience of interning with Sweetwater Organic Farm was perfect for me. I had a high interest in learning the farming process so that I could you use it in my personal future. Being out in the field is a very calming, zen-like experience and it is physically challenging at the same time. I would highly recommend participating in this internship to anyone, but I think it is important to remember that it is Florida and it is an outside job where one gets dirty and does plenty of manual labor. I would recommend investing in a pair of gardening gloves, sunscreen and rain gear, especially rain boots. These are invaluable tools in the field. My internship linked the impact of the ethics of food with its cultural significance.Portfolio

 

Erika Kozak
Student: Erika Kozak (back row, third from the left in the green shirt)
Organization: Florida Holocaust Museum
Semester: Fall 2013
Project: While working at the Florida Holocaust Museum, I have had the opportunity to organize, catalogue and enter data of delicate and important media documents containing Survivor’s Testimonies. I have had the experience to handle critical information that, if lost, we lose sight of the idea to “remember” this horrific time in history. This chance has given me the knowledge to work in a museum setting and how to organize and manage such essential data including artwork, media, and historical pieces (i.e. war helmets, soldier and prisoner attire, paintings, etc.). Through the knowledge of PastPerfect, a website that is created to help museum curators keep track of articles inside their vault, I will be able to say I can work in many different museum settings.

Rachel Barker
Student: Rachel Barker
Organization: Dade Battlefield Society (photo credit: Jean Creamer and Willis Tate)
Semester: Fall 2013
Project: As an American Studies major, my experiences with the Dade Battlefield Society have not only allowed me to deepen my understanding of the role of Florida in American history, but have also permitted me to increase my knowledge of social media and how it can be used to promote a non-profit organization effectively. There are many events that take place at the park every year, but the largest one is the reenactment of Dade’s Battle in 1835. I am working on increasing awareness of this event through social media, and also trying to find new advertising options that have not been utilized before. It’s a wonderful opportunity to be able to work with a non-profit organization that so passionately values American history the same way that I do. The tasks that have been given to me allow me to hone my skills in marketing, advertising, and communication in a way that traditional classroom instruction cannot provide. For an American Studies major it really is a nice blending of history and modernity. I will be a supporter of the park long after my internship ends.

Lane Mann
Organization: Tampa International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival
Semester: Fall 2013
Project: Our motto at the Tampa International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival is to Entertain, Empower, and Enlighten the community. We accomplish this through the annual film festival as well as films shown throughout the year. In my internship at TIGLFF, I am shadowing the Festival Director, Renee Cossette. We work to maintain the quality of the festival, ensure the films are prepped for the Tampa Theatre, deal with any issues with attendants, collect donations, create passes, prepare venues, and basically oversee the entire operation. This internship has helped me in understanding all of the parts and pieces that must come together to put on such a big event. Also, I am getting some valuable contacts in the film community which will help my future plans in academically studying all genres of film.

Amber Fahrner (Pictured center)
Organization: Sunscreen Film Festival
Semester: Fall 2013
Project: Working with the Sunscreen Film Festival for the Internship program is providing me the chance to gain experience of the film industry and all the work that goes into running a major Film Festival. I will be given the opportunity to work hands on with the films that are entered into the festival. It is an amazing feeling to be able to experience having a say in reviewing film submissions to be shown in the festival. It is a great chance to see the variety of films that potential filmmakers are trying to make. As someone who dreams of working behind the scenes for TV or Movie, it is great to be able to have a more hands on approach. The experience I will gain from the USF Internship will be able to follow be after I graduate and hopefully help in my desires to continue on in the film business.

Kishan Patel
Organization: Ruth Eckerd Hall
Semester: Summer 2013
Project: Working at Ruth Eckerd Hall as part of the Humanities Internship program at USF has provided me with valuable hands-on experience. At the prestigious performing arts center, located in Clearwater, I was given the opportunity to use professional filmmaking equipment to record over 30 hours of interview footage that ended up having a plethora of purposes. I was also able to utilize my video editing skills and put them to professional use. While the Humanities program at USF offers courses in Film Studies, this internship was a great chance to learn first-hand about the process of filming interviews that are usable for archival purposes. I was working with another intern who played the role of interviewer while we set-up a film set, adjusted lighting, worked with sound equipment, and got to get behind a professional camera. As someone who aspires to enter the filmmaking field, the experience I've gained working at Ruth Eckerd Hall as a videographer has been invaluable.