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Collegian Spotlight | Inique Wilson

by | Aug 23, 2021 | Affiliates, Collegian, SoCal, Stories, Uncategorized

Inique Wilson

This internship was a huge stepping stone for me; it showed me what my career could look like after I graduate.

Inique Wilson, a collegian from the Southern California affiliate, recently completed an internship with the cable network BET Her.

Wilson, a senior communications major at  California State University-San Marcos, was one of nine students selected for the internship through the Louis Carr Foundation. The foundation provides paid internships to minority students majoring in communications.

“Mr. Carr has been a huge help for us,” said Wilson. “We met with him every week to discuss how our internships were going.”  During the weekly meetings, Carr spoke to the interns about the industry and encouraged them to be confident in their work.

Wilson received weekly projects to work on throughout the internship. Her biggest project was working on the About Her Business segment. The series, which is featured on the company website, highlights black businesswomen in entrepreneurship. Inique’s task was to select the businesswomen the publication would highlight on the website during August.

“I had to do my research on each woman by reading blogs and looking at their social media presence,” Wilson said. “I even asked my Instagram and Tik Tok followers for suggestions.”

All the women Inique recommended were selected for the segment, which is available to watch online. Working for a major media company was initially overwhelming for Inique, but she settled into her role quickly.

“Going into the internship, I was really nervous,” she said. “I worried if I wasn’t fit for this, but once I got into it, I was fine.” Inique credits her time at Boys Hope Girls Hope with preparing her for the internship. “I didn’t take it all in as a scholar, but listening to speakers and going to events prepared me to work in a professional environment,” she said.

After completing her first internship, Inique understands the importance of gaining real-world experience while in college. “This internship was a huge stepping stone for me; it showed me what my career could look like after I graduate.”

After interning with BET, Inique can see herself working for the company full time. “I will definitely consider working for them once I graduate. BET treats their interns like employees, and they are a huge advocate for mental health, which aligns with my personal beliefs.” She hopes that her fellow collegians will seek out internships and have the same great experience. “If you get an opportunity, take it,” she said. “It might not be what you think you want, but try it out.”

Wilson, a communications major, plans to focus on media and find another internship during the school year to prepare herself for graduation in May 2022.

 

Latoya Holmes running her race