The University’s slogan is “All About Discovery,” and the sky is the limit for one student at NMSU.

Tannya Barba, a senior, who is a journalism and mass communication student at the University, had the internship of a lifetime this past summer.

Barba had the opportunity to intern at KWEX Univision Channel 4 in San Antonio, where she got to put her skills to use as a news and sports intern.

“I was able work alongside some great anchors, reporters and even photographers,” Barba said. “I was able to expand my knowledge in different areas.”

However, the application process wasn’t easy.

Applicants had to put a lot of time and effort into being selected for this internship.

“I of course had to send in my résumé as well as my demo reel,” Barba said. “I kept calling and kept speaking to the news director, which got my resume sent to the general manager.”

Her persistence and dedication showed.

“My favorite part about the internship was that I got to work alongside some great journalists that all came from different backgrounds and I was able to learn a lot,” Barba said. “I also got to report, film and edit a few news packages.”

Barba had been preparing herself for an internship like this since her freshman year, and to do so, she has dedicated her time to KRWG-TV News 22 at NMSU, where she anchors and reports on news and sports.

“News 22 has taught me everything I know when it comes to broadcast journalism,” Barba said. “It has helped me become a better reporter, and has taught me how to produce news and sports stories, it has also taught me a lot about time management.”

Internships are a key factor in building the experience a student needs before you graduate.

According to Beth Hering, who works for a career building website, internships can make the difference in whether a student gets the job or not.

“Graduating students with paid or unpaid internships on their résumé have a much better chance at landing a full-time position upon graduation,” Hering said. “Students are doing internships as undergraduates, and it is now not unusual for recent grads to take an unpaid internship with hopes of turning it into a permanent position or at least making some contacts and building their résumé.”

According to Forbes, statistics show that 70 percent of companies offer full-time jobs to their interns after graduation. Additionally, if an individual had an internship before, they had a 70 percent chance of being hired by the company they interned with.

The odds are more in your favor if you get out and get internships. Most employers want to hire people with experience and good work ethic.

The National Association of Corrosion Engineers reported that employers, who hire experienced, entry-level candidates with internship experience, pay their staff 6.5 more than those without the experience.

“I think students should do internships because it is important to learn more about your career from the real world,” Barba said. “I can say that the past internships that I’ve had, especially this one, have definitely help me in my career.”

Barba was able to be sent out to cover big stories. One that she’ll never forget is when she got to cover the shootings that were happening in Dallas.

“The night of the Dallas shootings, I was in San Antonio covering a crime vigil at city hall,” Barba said. “The crew that I was with that night was waiting on a call so we could go cover it.”

That internship and the stories she was able to be apart of was an experience that she’ll never forget.

“They all really gave me great advice on how efficiently I worked, and areas that they felt I should work on before I graduate college,” Barba said. “After graduation my goal is to start working at a news station to begin my Sports Broadcasting career.”

Internships help provide students with the building blocks that you need for your future. They can really help set the bases of a career and can help students get your foot in the door with a business or company.

Career Services at NMSU assists students and helps apply them with the tools that they need to apply for these internships.

“Career planning is a great way to prepare you for the future,” Career Services said. “Every day we go through the daily motions of school and work, yet we never really pay attention to what the future will bring.”

If you’re a student, it is important to take action and start building a resume, cover letter and find worthy references because you never know when an internship opportunity or job might come up.

For more help with this or career planning, contact the NMSU Career Services Resource Coordinator at (575)-646-1631 or complete the online appointment form on their website at careerservices.nmsu.edu.