This week we are sharing the experiences of four Golden Key members that participated in internship programs through our partnership with Dream Careers. On Monday, we told you about Jennifer’s experiences and yesterday we wrote about Ashley’s experiences. Dream Careers is the world’s leading internship […]
Yesterday, we shared Golden Key member Jennifer’s experience with Dream Careers. Dream Careers is the world’s leading internship program provider and Golden Key has partnered up with them to provide our “Global Internship Initiative.” Golden Key members that participate in a Dream Careers program get […]
Dream Careers is the world’s leading internship program provider. As the world’s leading honor society, we at Golden Key knew they was a perfect match to partner with. Last summer, we launched our partnership with our “Global Internship Initiative” and we are thrilled to offer this opportunity to our members again! Dream Careers helps college students achieve their career goals by placing them in an ideal internship and allowing them to live in their dream city all over the globe. The program includes guaranteed internship placement, housing, weekend activities, career seminars and more!
As a special bonus, Golden Key members who participate will receive the following benefits:
– Priority access to nearly 5,000 of the most coveted internships in 10 cities throughout the world
– Waived application fee (via our promotional code)
– $500 grant toward Dream Careers tuition for members who enroll before December 6
Click here to learn more and sign up!
First up is Jennifer Lopez, a student at the University of Texas at El Paso who became a member of Golden Key in March of 2013. Jennifer is majoring in digital media and hopes to be working in the entertainment industry when she graduates in May of 2015.
Here’s what Jennifer had to say about her experience:
I never thought it was possible that I would be able to work on a television series at my young age. Everything changed during my summer of 2013. I decided to take a leap of faith and signed up to participate in a program called Dream Careers. At first I was skeptical because the program seemed too good to be true. I had questions that kept running through my mind like, “Is this program legitimate? How are they going to place me with my little experience? Is it worth going?” Despite my skepticism, I followed through the process to what became the best summer I have ever had!
I attended the Los Angeles Dream Careers program and from day one I felt welcomed! The participants stayed at the UCLA dorms and as soon as I stepped foot through the door I was approached by the nicest people. The fears I had from my ride to the UCLA dorms had all of a sudden vanished. The staff members helped me move into my room where I would live for the next two months. The evening of the arrival day we had a welcome dinner where we were able to meet other participants. At that dinner, I made friends that would make my experience all the more delightful. The following day we had an orientation where all of our questions and uncertainties were answered. We even took practice routes on how to get to and back from work.
The real experience started when I attended my first day at work. I interned for a production company called Good Clean Fun. The CEO and founder of Good Clean Fun is Jason Carbone, who is well known for his successful reality shows. While working here, I gained valuable experiences and saw the process of how a reality show works. I started in the development portion by doing research. As time proceeded, I was able to do many more things. I got a glimpse of how casting is done for reality shows. I would sit in on the interviews and take logging notes. I also helped manage the IMDB Pro account for the TV series the company was working on. When needed, I worked in post-production by transferring files for the editors. I edited a few videos for internal use and was in charge of creating GIFs after episodes aired. After each episode was aired, I was would go through the social media and gather “fan press briefings.” This is a compilation of what the fans would say about the episode on Twitter, Facebook, etc. In my case, I was in charge of the show Tia and Tamera. The company also had me complete a development project. For this project, I had to create a new reality show from scratch, write up a detailed proposal, and design the proposal layout. At the end of the internship, I pitched my reality show to my manager, and the assistants to the executive producers.
I cannot choose what part of the whole experience was my favorite; mostly because each day was better than the last! My two months of living in Los Angeles and working for an amazing company is my favorite part of the year. The only part of the experience I did not like was that it was too short! I thought two months would be too long; but when the time came to say good-bye to everyone, I found out that two months was too short!
One of the best things about Dream Careers is they offer career seminars. I took advantage of these opportunities and I’m glad I did. Each seminar gave me insight into the real world and prepared me for what’s to come. We had professional speakers who were very inspirational and were quick on giving advice when someone asked. We also had seminars that taught us how to interact and network with others. Throughout the two months, the Dream Careers’ staff helped us establish a strong LinkedIn profile. One of the most valuable lessons I learned professionally is how to promote myself and connect with others. Through everything Dream Careers did, I definitely feel I am prepared to enter the professional world. The seminars, the internship, and the people I met all give me confidence that I will secure a job in the future.
Aside from all the professionalism, Dream Careers also had fun activities planned throughout the summer. I participated in all of them and I don’t regret one thing! Two of my favorite activities of the summer were the surfing lessons and the going away dinner. My friends and I also explored Los Angles on our own during the week. We would attend free concerts, go to theme parks, visit the malls, and other great things.
I would definitely recommend the Dream Careers program! To any Golden Key student who is thinking about participating, I would say do it! If you have any doubts, call Dream Careers. If you do the program, you won’t have any regrets! I went to Los Angeles, but Dream Careers offers other cities as well. Take this opportunity to live your dream!
Although the summer Dream Careers program is two months long, it doesn’t necessarily end there. Throughout the time we all spent together, we became a family. We all call ourselves dreamers and we have each other’s back no matter the distance. The friendships that were made are strong and will last a life time. Dream Careers truly changed my life. After the program I returned home and was able to land another successful internship. This wouldn’t have been possible if I hadn’t taken my first leap of faith to apply for the program.
As you can see, Jennifer thoroughly enjoyed her experience! She got to participate in a large variety of job duties and get first hand insight on how tv production works. The only part of the experience she didn’t like was that it was too short—that’s how great of a time she had! Our thanks go out to Jennifer for sharing her story.
Check back on the blog tomorrow for another highlight of a Golden Key member that participated in an internship through Dream Careers!
The next chapter that we would like to highlight in the Key Chapter blog series is the University of California, Riverside. The Golden Key chapter participated in a plethora of activities during the 2012-2013 academic year that ranged from socials and open houses to fundraisers […]
For more than twenty years, USA WEEKEND and HandsOn Network have partnered to sponsor Make A Difference Day, the nation’s largest day of volunteer (USA). Make A Difference Day (MDDay) brings millions of people together one day annually to help shape community and help change the […]
Congratulations to The College of New Jersey Golden Key chapter on being named one of the 2012-2013 Key Chapters. As a chapter they participated in over 40 events that supported the three pillars, as well as fundraising for the chapter. Their fundraising efforts would consist of several different activities. In one endeavor, members assisted in the operation of the university’s public transportation, or “Loop Bus”. Some others consisted of selling The College of New Jersey bags in the student center and receiving a percentage of proceeds from the local Apple Bee’s restaurant.
The College of New Jersey chapter followed a pattern in their service initiatives during the Fall- they would plan events around the holiday season. 
In October they made candy bags for underprivileged kids and donated clothing to HomeFront, which is an organization that helps impoverished families become self-sufficient. During the month of November, The College of New Jersey chapter collected non-perishable foods to be donated to a local soup kitchen for the Thanksgiving holiday. December was a big month for the chapter- the members collected and donated toys to underprivileged children, contributed to Socks for U.S. Soldiers and assisted in the Hurricane Sandy Relief Effort.
One of the larger events that The College of New Jersey chapter participated in during the 2012-2013 academic year was a collaborative effort for Better World Books.
The chapter worked with a variety of academic and social fraternities/sororities, clubs and organizations on campus to collect over 30 boxes of books to be donated. This was accomplished by setting up several large book collection boxes around campus. The Golden Key members were overwhelmed by the support that they received for the community service project to help fund literacy projects worldwide. On top of their effort with Better World Books, they also created various service projects each month in order to raise awareness about a certain philanthropic organization on campus.
Throughout the service initiatives, workshops and other various activities, The College of New Jersey chapter was able to flourish and create a positive impact on both their campus, as well as the community. Keep up the good work, and we look forward to hearing about your success in the upcoming year!
Yesterday we announced the winners of the 2013 Chapter Facebook Contest. Today we would like to feature how the winning chapters made it happen! The University of Florida chapter is the winner of category 1 (meaning they had more than 250 likes on the chapter […]
Golden Key is very excited to announce the winners of our 2013 Chapter Facebook Contest! The contest was open to all Golden Key chapters in North America. The goal of the contest was to increase the number of likes on the chapter Facebook pages throughout […]
To continue with the 2012-2013 Key Chapter blog series, we would like to acknowledge the University of the Virgin Islands- St. Thomas chapter for being a recipient of such. The Golden Key chapter participated in sixty events that related to academics, leadership and service.
During the Fall 2012 semester, the University of the Virgin Islands- St. Thomas chapter served in homeless shelters, collected books for book drives, held chapter ceremonies and hosted professional development workshops. One of their notable professional development workshops concentrated on interviewing skills. The purpose was to engage and provide members with various strategies and techniques for improving their interviewing skills. In the Spring of 2013, the chapter participated in the Teddy Bear Drive with the Florida International University Golden Key chapter, volunteered at an emergency foster home for newborns to twelve-year-old children and partook in the President’s Reception which the University President held for new inductees and honorary members.
One activity that had inherent value to the University of the Virgin Islands- St. Thomas chapter was their volunteer work at the Wesleyan Holiness Church soup kitchen. Representatives from the church donated and cooked food to be packaged and prepared for walk-ins and to be delivered to other parts of the island. The Golden Key members served as volunteers- cooking, serving and delivering food to those in need, as well as cleaning up after the event. People came from all over to receive food and everyone was extremely appreciative.
Congratulations to the University of the Virgin Islands- St. Thomas Golden Key chapter for their hard work and dedication to the betterment of their community and themselves.
The University of Wisconsin- La Crosse chapter was recently one of the thirty-seven chapters to be named a 2012-2013 Key Chapter. Of the many events that the chapter held, there is one matter that is held dear to them- literacy. In fact, the Golden Key […]
GK SCHOLARSHIPS: Ather Sharif
GK Scholarships: Logan Thornton