“And why does your research matter? Why should we care about it?” Willow Zartarian politely asked a UVM professor in a recent interview. The professor, a sociologist who specializes in disaster research thought for a minute then dived deep into the roots of her research and it’s direct relevance to this moment in time.

For Zartarian, good questions help her craft the stories she is writing on UVM faculty as part of her internship in strategic communications. After starting her work at the internship, one of the discoveries that Zartarian made was a new passion for writing and interviewing.

“I think that this internship has shown me that I really enjoy writing. It was the combination of the internship and an English class that I took in the spring that definitely showed me how much I enjoy it. That’s something that I really didn’t think of before,” Zartarian said, explaining that she recently added an English minor to her Economics major. The path started with writing in her social science courses in economics – and the internship is taking it to the next level.

Zartarian is receiving $3,000 for the summer internship as part of the College of Art’s and Sciences Communities of Practice internship program. Although she has become more confident in writing, her first interviews were challenging,  Zartarian said.

“Interviewing professors at the beginning was pretty daunting to me because I didn’t really have interviewing skills before this,” Zartarian said. “It could be pretty scary if you didn’t know anything about the topic and then have to sit through the interview and come up with questions on the spot.”

For Zartarian, however, having to overcome this new challenge hasn’t just led to improved communication skills, but a new appreciation for faculty research as well.

“Now I think interviewing is my favorite part of this internship because I just love hearing about all the research that professors are doing. It’s really cool to see the variety of professors we have and just hearing about what they do when they’re outside of the classroom” Zartarian said.

Zartarian’s internship has helped her explore other interests beyond economics and research. None of it would be possible without an open mind, Zartarian said, and she urges other potential interns to do the same.

“I would say, to keep a very open mind because I really wasn’t interested in communications at all. I think things will come up, and that you think that you might not be interested at first, but I would just say that doing an internship like this will really help you figure out your career path,” Zartarian said.

In the last four years, internships in the College of Arts & Sciences at UVM have increased sharply from about 250 a year to more than 600. And this summer intern scholarship funding will top $200,000.  “We believe that every student should have the opportunity to have at least one, if not multiple, internships during their time at UVM,” said William Falls, the Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences. “Internships provide essential life skills, preparing students for the work place and building the networks and skills they need to succeed.”

Falls said he is particularly proud of the summer scholarship programs that provides funding for students in unpaid or underpaid internships.

This summer, 80 College of Arts & Sciences students have won summer scholarships, receiving more than  $200,000 in summer funding -- a new record for the College, Falls said. This summer’s funding is more than double the $71,000 allocated in 2020 and more than three times the amount allocated in 2016, Falls said.

“We thought it essential to level the playing field to give every student regardless of their personal finances the chance to have an internship,” Falls said. “It must be part of their college career and education.”

And for students like Zartarian, internships provide a way to explore different career paths, hone her networking and communications skills and keep an open mind to what the future may hold.

Connor Adams is a English Junior with a passion for storytelling in all forms. Listen to his latest podcast here or read his stories here