This interview with Chen has been condensed and edited.

1. What did you learn or accomplish in your role at your internship?

Chen: Since my sophomore year in college, I have taken every opportunity to gain experience that prepares me for a career in journalism. I’ve taken numerous news-related classes, written for my school’s newspaper and local newspaper, reported and produced packages for BU’s television station and interned with other news media. I thought that I’d pretty much covered everything needed to work in this industry. But the two months at CBS proved me completely wrong. Everything I know about news production was superficial, and what I had learned is only the tip of the iceberg. A 30-minute-news-cast that seems straightforward—with anchors reading the script and B-roll playing on screen— is a product of collaborative efforts among different departments. With any single part missing, the newscast would go wrong.

What I saw over the two month internship was completely new to me. It is the foundation of the whole broadcast system, and people from each department in the industry should know, or at least have a brief idea of how things work out.

As an intern, I spent most of my time in the newsroom, studios, and the control rooms. I got to shadow and work with the producers, directors, reporters and photographers, where they shared their knowledge and responsibilities. I felt lucky that we got to witness how they dealt with breaking news during my last days in the newsroom. The importance of immediate response is another thing I learned. We never know what will happen, so the best thing to do is to always be ready and take in a tense situation calmly.

2. Did you find anything surprising or unexpected? Either about the culture or the work that you did?

Chen: During our internship, we got to help CBS set up New York’s primary debate in the broadcast center. This was an opportunity that we did not expect, but it was amazing to witness how much “behind the scenes” effort the crew put in before the candidates arrived at the studio and went on camera.

3. How do you hope to apply your experience for your future career goals?

Chen: In my opinion, the Asian perspective is immensely underrepresented in most American media, and I have witnessed how news media made a difference. The advancement of news inclusiveness is one of the main drives of my passion for television news production, and I believe I can do so through media production companies’ demonstrated commitment towards diversity. I consider broadcast journalism to be one of the most important tools for creating positive change in the world and establishing an informed global citizenry, and I believe that journalism plays a leading role in this process.

4. What did this experience teach you about working in the U.S.? Was this your first time interning/working in the U.S.?

Chen: This wasn’t my first time working in the U.S. I interned with Fox News Media last spring as a College Associate, and had several other internships at smaller companies before that. These experiences not only serve as a pipeline for full-time opportunities, but also help me explore different aspects in the industry, thus deciding which path I will focus on pursuing. Last but not least, I considered these internships to be “workplace 101,” a lesson we didn’t have exposure to without stepping out of the classroom. Coming from a foreign country, I made good use of my time working in U.S. to observe and adapt to the work culture I might encounter in the future.

Another student, Vaibhavi Hansrajani (ENG ’23), who is studying Biomedical Engineering with a concentration in Machine Learning and Nanotechnology, interned with the Boston Medical Center (BMC). Hansrajani is originally from Mumbai, India.  

Q&A with Vaibhavi Hansrajani:

Vaibhavi Hansrajani pictured at her internship (2nd from left)

This interview with Hansrajani has been condensed and edited.

1. Where did you intern this summer and what were your responsibilities?

Hansrajani: I was enrolled in the BU-KIDMEP Program, which stands for Boston University Kidney and Medical Engineering Program.This was a clinical immersion program that focused on technology development for kidney diseases. I worked closely with the care providers and patients in the hospitals to understand kidney disease from their perspectives. After a brief training period of observing interventional nephrology procedures, and visiting dialysis centers and medical device manufacturing sites, I was paired with a professor at Boston University to work on multiple projects like creating a real-time calculator that predicts a patient’s kidney function and modeling the working of an artificial kidney. 

2. What did you learn or accomplish in your role at your internship? 

Hansrajani: I was finally able to get hands-on research experience to solve a crucial issue that would benefit the healthcare field. This experience also made me more comfortable in taking interviews and interacting with clients.   

3. Did you find anything surprising or unexpected? Either about the culture or work that you did?

Hansrajani: I was very surprised by how all interns’ opinions and ideas were taken into serious consideration. It was a learning platform where even the ideas I suggested as a university student to doctors and professors were not dismissed. Moreover, it was a great networking opportunity.

4. How do you hope to apply your experience to your future career goals?

Hansrajani: As a rising senior, I have several doubts about what I would like to do after graduation and this internship helped me learn about all the opportunities students in my field engage in. I also learned how it is very important to be present at all times and be flexible to work in a new environment. As an engineer, I never saw myself taking rounds in a hospital but it was a rewarding experience for the research I am currently working on. It also made me more comfortable asking questions and knowing it’s alright to make mistakes. I certainly feel more prepared and excited for my full-time employment after graduation.

5. What did this experience teach you about working in the U.S.? Was this your first time interning/working in the U.S.?

Hansrajani: This being my very first in-person internship in the United States, I was a little apprehensive about voicing my ideas and opinions. However, having worked with so many people of diverse cultures I am confident and know that I do not have to worry about being international and having a different opinion, this is rather appreciated. I also learned that there is always going to be competition and it is important to step out of one’s comfort zone and try your hand at new projects to stand out. Lastly, this experience also taught me about all the visa regulations and paperwork I need to be mindful of while working in the U.S, be it internships or getting a full-time job after graduation. The Center for Career Development collaborates with the ISSO each semester on a number of workshops and events to educate international students regarding this and was certainly my guide in knowing everything I should about working in the U.S.