Transcribing "The Landscape" of Bergen County and Out of Place on First Day

While college students intern during the fall and spring semesters, a majority participate in internship programs during summer break. This summer, I was lucky enough to secure two internships in two very different fields. I found my first internship as a transcriber for the Upper Saddle River Historical society through The Archway, where I had to send a resume, cover letter and a letter of recommendation from a faculty member. I applied to my second internship at a production company in New York City online, and was hired as one of four summer office interns. These were the first internships that I ever had and were overall great learning experiences for me.

My internship for the Upper Saddle River Historical Society fit with my idea of what a remote internship would be like. I was tasked with transcribing a newspaper that was printed from 1888 until 1901, titled The Landscape, written by A.P. Smith, an African American male who lived in Saddle River. There are over two hundred editions and, while I was only able to complete a little more than half of them this summer, I have been asked to continue my work throughout this school year and next summer. One of my favorite things about this internship was that it taught me so much about the county in which I live. Not only have I learned the histories of some of Bergen County’s most respected families, but now I can’t go anywhere without recognizing every street name that corresponds to a family I have read about. While transcribing is not one of the most challenging things to do, this project was, and continues to be of great interest to me. Furthermore, I know that when I have finished transcribing and creating an index of everyone mentioned in The Landscape, my work will be used not only to help researchers from Bergen County’s many historical societies, but can also help local families learn more about their history.

My second internship at a production company in New York City was definitely one of the most challenging experiences I’ve faced in my time at Ramapo College. Before the start of my sophomore year, I had thought about working in the production field after graduating college and therefore wanted to find a production internship to get my foot in the door (even though I am majoring in American Studies and Political Science). I found this company online, applied with a resume and cover letter, and within a few weeks had a video interview. Fun fact—I didn’t get the job at first. I had been passed over for individuals who were majoring in some sort of communications program at their respective schools and who had more experience than I did. A month or two after I was turned down, I received an email from the woman I had interviewed with, letting me know that there was a spot open if I wanted it after two students had backed out at the last minute. I (of course) said yes, happy that I would be able to gain some valuable production experience and learn more about the field. But in the week before I first started, I had doubts about my ability to succeed in the new field I was entering.

As an American Studies and Political Science major, I quickly felt that I was out of place on my first day—surrounded by creative people and working with interns who were majoring in some type of film or media degree with previous production experience. Over the course of my first month, I found that my previous fears had been overblown and baseless. For starters, one doesn’t need a degree to complete “runs” to buy groceries or pick up and deliver things to different people (figuring out the subway system was the most challenging aspect in that regard). I continually found that every skill that I had learned in my various liberal arts classes, from my writing ability to the discipline I developed in handing assignments in on time, was my key to succeeding in this unfamiliar world of narrative and documentary film production. While I was asked to do tasks that I had never done before, such as script coverage, executive summaries, and grant research, I found that I was able to quickly adapt and learn. One of the greatest assets during my summer internship was my ability to succinctly summarize information and present it in a clear, well-written manner. Going into future internships, I will now have the confidence to realize that, because of the skills I have learned in my classes here at Ramapo, I am prepared to face any challenge that comes my way.

I know that I initially didn’t appeal to the woman in charge of finding interns for the production company, probably because I had no previous experience in a production office and because my majors were not even close to the types of degrees that their normal interns pursue. While those who hire interns or employees may be biased by the degrees individuals are working towards, it is important to know that students pursuing degrees in the humanities are just as capable, if not more, than students who choose more “mainstream” majors. I hope that I was able to open the eyes of those at the company this summer and show them that students majoring in film and production are not the only ones who can succeed in their industry. By the end of the summer, I no longer felt out of place, but instead felt as if my skills gave me an advantage over the other interns working there.

– Francesca Evans

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