This week we’ve shared the experiences of three Golden Key members that participated in internship programs through our partnership 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 several special benefits such as priority access to the internships. If you’re interested in being placed in an internship through Dream Careers, learn all about the program and the special discounts for GK members.
Our final highlight is on Angela Roberts, a Golden Key member at Ashford University in Iowa State. Angela primarily attends school online and joined Golden Key in June of 2012. She is double majoring in marketing and public relation and will be graduating in June of 2014. She aspires to continue to work in non-profit organizations as well as build my own business that assists in providing marketing and public relations to local businesses.
Angela shares her story here:
I grew up in a small farming community in Washington State. Growing up I was unfortunately not born into wealth but I was fortunately born in to hard work. I have been driven and determined to succeed all of my life. I currently live in the Tri-Cities area of Washington State and I traveled to New York City to participate in the Dream Careers program. I worked at a marketing firm called Escalate Marketing from June 9^th to August 3^rd. They are an experiential firm that works to provide Coca-Cola event marketing and word of mouth marketing. The company focuses on providing events and media coverage for teenagers and college age students.
For my internship, I worked in the productions department so I was able to work with all departments to make their events come to life. I was also able to travel to a few events; one of which included going to Jersey Shore to attend the “Open For Summer” event by Coca-Cola.  At Escalate they depend on their interns to be a component to the overall experience not ever servants that get coffee or pick up dry cleaning. My experience at Escalate was very rewarding!  One of my favorite parts of my internship was being able to be a part of the brainstorms with the CEO and head manager. One of the last brainstorms I attended was for the 2014 pitch and only six people were asked to join the meeting. Some of the ideas that I came up with for the events were selected!
The Dream Careers program was very worthwhile to be a part of. The program offers the 360 experience of New York City and working, from bucket lists for adventures in NY to career and life changing seminars. The Dream Careers staff was helpful by getting us used to the city and figuring out the life of getting to work and how it all falls together.
Some of the seminars that I attended through Dream Careers included a LinkedIn seminar, following your dreams, how to get where you want to be, and a hiring panel. Each career seminar was inspiring and energizing. The most valuable lesson that I learned professionally is that not all the hard work in the world can get you where you want to be, you have to build a substantial professional network. It is not about asking for handouts but using your connections to show off your skills and abilities. The most valuable lesson that I learned personally is that being honest and true to yourself is priceless.
Everyone asks me the question, “Do you think your experience with Dream Careers will help you secure a job in the future?” Everyone asks this because the program is not cheap and leaving my husband for a few months was not easy.  Even though this was not the easiest choice I have ever made, it was a choice for me and my ambitions. I do not believe that anything, not even a contract secures a job in the future. Tomorrow is unknown and that is why I choose to spend all my savings and uproot my life to build a worthy and amazing foundation to my career. New York City is the business capital of the world and I worked there, made it through the crowds of hundred on Wall Street, and made my way through the city. With that experience I feel I can do anything. 
Being in New York City was great. The weekend events were so much fun. The planned events included, Yankees game or Broadway play, overnight trip to Washington D.C., private Tour bus around NYC, comedy show, and a beach trip. Washington D.C. was so amazing seeing the White House, being so close to our history as well as the city was beautiful and peaceful! In addition to the planned events, we all got together to go shopping, eating out, central park walks, and so much more.

For all the people interested in Dream Careers there is no better way to intern in NYC honestly. The program sets up the living part in New York City to be as easy as possible including food card, housing, and built-in friends. Living in NYC will change you in so many ways- it’s beautiful, busy, changing, and dirty and the list goes on but it is also not for the light hearted. You have to be willing to take it at as an adventure and make the best of it!
I’d also like to share a few pointers with those that attend the next NYC program: connect with Dream Careers early and get Broadway tickets through NYU early to your favorite shows at a fraction of the price. Also with the program you go as a student of NYU so you can receive discounts at tons of stores by showing your student ID.
 
As you can see, Angela got hands-on, real world experience in her field of choice by participating in this program. While it was a tough choice for her to live away from home for two months, she knew it was the right decision because of all the great experiences she had. Our thanks go out to Angela for sharing her story.

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!

This week, we would like to highlight four Golden Key members that took advantage of the program in the summer of 2013. These members had invaluable, amazing experiences that they are excited to share!

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!