Alumni Internship Site Supervisors Share Advice on Interning Remotely

By Brittany Adames ’21

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, employees worldwide have suddenly found themselves working from home, and student interns have also had to adjust to a new work environment. Approximately 150 students who attended Emerson Los Angeles are interning remotely. This semester, 17 of the internship sites had Emerson alumni as internship site supervisors.

Three of these alumnae, Megan Anelons ’19, Sophie Azran ’14, and Molly Ronis ’15, shed a bit of light on their experiences working from home and offered tips on how to still succeed during this time of uncertainty.

What is your job title?

Megan: AV editor and internship coordinator at Atlas Entertainment.

Sophie: creative executive at Image Movers.

Molly: creative casting coordinator at Amazon Casting.

What advice do you have for interns working remotely?

Megan: If work is slow, take initiative to reach out to your supervisors and ask if there’s anything you can do. Doing little things to reach out is a great way to show you’re still passionate and excited about the internship, even though you’re not there in person.

Sophie: Communication. Let your advisors know you’re just as invested now, and ask for the adjustments you need.

Molly: Try to keep to as normal a work schedule as possible on the days you would be in the office: take a lunch break for an hour, stick to business hours to do your work, and don’t put too much pressure on yourself. We are all figuring out this new normal and it will take a while to nail down a new routine at home.

What are you doing to cope and not go too stir-crazy?

Megan: Yoga, face masks, and lots of baking!

Sophie: Going on walks with a mask and social distancing. I keep myself busy with reading books and scripts, watching movies, and staying connected with my network and friends. Also, I’ve found it very helpful to switch rooms halfway through my day (I go back into the bedroom where it’s cooler; Los Angeles weather is still sunny as ever)—it helps at the end of the workday mentally to have to move to another room.

Molly: I’ve been doing some at-home workouts in my living room before the workday starts; even if I can only fit in 20–30 minutes, it’s a great stress reliever. Taking walks or drives in my neighborhood to get in a little fresh air and A LOT of cooking and baking to stay busy.

Any additional personal or professional tips for Emersonians to help get through this pandemic? 

Megan: Everyone’s schedule is a little wonky right now, and I think Emersonians in particular tend to throw themselves into work or feel stuck if their plates aren’t super full, so just be kind to yourselves.

Sophie: Stay connected and use this time to build your network and ask for favors. People are bored and more likely to help out or hop on the phone and get to know you. Take advantage.

Molly: Don’t forget it’s O.K. to not feel O.K. in this time; you don’t need to come out of this quarantine with a freshly written novel or an award-winning documentary. Do whatever you need to do to feel O.K. — this is uncharted territory and nobody really knows how to navigate it!