MLK Spotlight - Mali: Reflecting on my summer publishing internship

Mali is a senior in MLK, majoring in Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature with a minor in Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies. This post is part of the MLK Spotlight, a regular feature on our blog. The goal is to highlight MLK student (or staff) stories, experiences, and perspectives. Have something you'd like to share? Send an email to mlkdesk@umn.edu, or ask your adviser!

Mali's experience this summer as an Editorial Assistant intern with Free Spirit Publishing gets her one step closer to academic and career goals.

As I approach graduation, my focus for my last months of school turns toward gaining valuable work experience. Throughout this year I worked as a Special Projects Assistant Intern at the Tubman Center for Women and an Editorial Assistant Intern at Free Spirit Publishing this summer. My internship at Free Spirit has been particularly special because it is aligned with my career and academic goals, and accompanies my award of the CLA Internship Scholarship to help with summer expenses during my duration at the company.

Being a CLA student, my academics are strongly interdisciplinary; and therefore, my career goals are as well. I initially sought out an internship in publishing because I wanted to gain more literary and writing experience–experience I know will be essential to a successful graduate and undergraduate career. Having experience through the Multicultural Family Literacy Program, I also had worked with children. The synthesis of my work experience and career goals rendered an interest in children’s literature. The Twin Cities are a great place to pursue work in publishing, but there are few that focus on children’s literature. I found my internship by Internet research of children’s publishing companies in Minnesota. After many phone calls and persistence, I was asked to discuss an internship position in their in-progress internship program.

At Free Spirit I work with book manuscripts and collaborate with other departments within the company to complete small tasks essential to publishing a book. This internship has been extremely multi-faceted and informational. Before beginning my stint, I aimed firstly to see if publishing was what I hoped to pursue; and secondly, to understand the publishing process and the breadth of duties that editorial work requires. As my internship comes to a close, I am sure that I have achieved these goals and gained invaluable work experience.

After attending graduate school and obtaining my Ph.D., I hope to either teach or help manage an academic press or journal. This step–interning at Free Spirit–is a small, but crucial motion towards achieving my academic and career goals. My internship was made possible through funding by the CLA Internship Scholarship, something that I encourage all MLK students to apply for, as it provided essential financial support during my stint, as well as activities that helped intellectually and personally enhance my experience. Internships are a crucial point in the transition from school to work, and I encourage everyone to find and pursue them, even if you’re unsure of the field. They provide valuable work experience that will make you a competitive candidate for the work force, as well as enrich you with experiences that cannot be found in the classroom.

The deadline for the fall 2013 CLA Internship Scholarship is on Wednesday, September 25. For more details and to apply, click here.