ELA Hosts Breakfast for Internship Site Providers

Emerson College Los Angeles (ELA) hosted a breakfast for internship site providers for the first time in its iconic building on April 21.

“The internship program is a key component to our students’ success as they prepare to transition from college to the real world,” said Allison Sampson, ELA’s vice president and executive director. “We really look to our internship providers as co-educational partners and that is why we wanted to host a breakfast for them.”

Supervisors and representatives from a variety of internship sites—including Fullscreen Media, Funny or Die, and Nickelodeon—attended the breakfast, where they also received packets containing an overview of the College, details on ELA’s internship course, and a certificate of appreciation. This academic year, ELA hosted nearly 400 students who participated in more than 400 internship opportunities.

Allison Sampson, ELA's vice president and executive director, greets internship providers. Photo/Daryl Paranada

As the first East Coast college to establish a residential study and internship program in Los Angeles in 1986, Emerson has a long history of providing internship opportunities to students in the City of Angels. To celebrate a successful year of internships and build more meaningful connections with providers, Sampson, along with Liselda Fabian, ELA’s associate director of internships and experiential learning, coordinated the breakfast.

“Bringing together ELA’s internship providers for this first-of-its-kind event at ELA was a thrill,” said Fabian. “I’m eager to find new ways to deepen these relationships and to continue collaborating.”

During a brief presentation, Fabian encouraged providers to reach out to her to further professional engagement and announced that ELA was recently recognized with the 2017 Outstanding University Internship Program Award from the California Internship and Work Experience Association in recognition of its unique experiential learning program.

Liselda Fabian, ELA’s associate director of internships and experiential learning,  and Annie Kelly, ELA's assistant director of experiential learning, received the 2017 Outstanding University Internship Program Award from the California Internship and Work Experience Association during a conference in San Francisco. 

Chris Tongue, vice president of creative affairs at Dark Horse Entertainment, attended the breakfast to get to know ELA better and tour the building. This semester, Dark Horse hosted two Emerson interns. 

“Emerson demonstrates a real commitment to the internship that’s different from other students coming from UCLA, USC, or Chapman [University],” said Tongue. “I feel like Emerson students have more focus on the internships and are better trained.”

Chris Tongue, vice president of creative affairs at Dark Horse Entertainment, explored the ELA building before the internship breakfast commenced. Photo/Daryl Paranada

During the breakfast, senior Jenna Montefiore ’17 spoke about her internship experience and Trustee Vin Di Bona ’66 thanked the providers for helping to nurture ELA students.

“Everyone talks about Emerson students being real go-getters, “ said Di Bona, whose production company also serves as an internship and job provider. “You provide incredible opportunities that help to make our students’ careers solid at the very start of their professional journey and we cannot thank you enough for that.”

Maureen McDermott ’13, a development coordinator at the production company Magical Elves, said she was thrilled to return to her alma mater and represent her firm at the breakfast.

“It was great to see Emerson think of the internship providers,” she said. “The internship is more than just a place students go to in the daytime and to see Emerson recognize us in this way is great.”

Trustee Vin Di Bona '66 addresses internship site providers during a breakfast at ELA.