Jessica Capwell ’16 in French Morning’s New York office.
Colgate students are participating in internships in a variety of fields and locations this summer. This post is by Jessica Capwell ’16, a French major from Charlotte, N.C., who is interning with French Morning in New York City.
This summer, I’m interning as a journalist at a digital magazine called French Morning. The magazine serves as a news outlet for the French community living in New York City, and it comes in other editions for communities in cities like Los Angeles and Miami. The French-language publication also includes an English translation for American francophiles.
I was initially at a loss when it came to what to look for in a summer internship since my interests — French, writing, and cultural studies — don’t exactly point to an obvious professional field. In the end, a simple Google search led me to French Morning.
I was primarily looking for an opportunity to practice my written and verbal French skills, but I quickly realized that an internship at French Morning would afford me that and so much more; I would be able to refine my French while synthesizing all of my interests. I contacted the magazine’s founder, and he offered me an internship.
During my summer with French Morning, I’ve written stories in both French and English, translated articles from French to English and vice versa, and launched and managed social media pages. I’ve gained valuable skills specific to journalism such as brainstorming story ideas for specific audiences, tailoring my writing style to match the subject of the article, and getting compelling material from interviews.
Above all, I have developed a highly nuanced understanding of the complexities of both translation and the French language.
Working at French Morning has been an absolute pleasure. My coworkers are from France, so I’ve had exposure to French culture and had the opportunity to practice my spoken French. Regarding my time in the office, my co-worker noted, “You’re seeing what it’s like to work in a French office without actually going to France.”
Until now, my ideas for post-graduate plans have been frustratingly vague, with the only certainty being that I want to spend an extended period of time in France and to make sure the language never slips from my grasp. My experience at French Morning, however, has been instrumental in helping me realize that I want to explore the possibility of a career that revolves around writing, perhaps journalism or publishing.
From French to anthropology, my widespread academic interests span a number of different fields within the humanities. And from what I’ve learned this summer, that’s precisely what journalism is: writing about humanity.