Seventeen seniors presented their final writing projects for the Professional Writing and Rhetoric program during a reception in the Woods Center at Rhodes Stadium on Wednesday, May 12.
Students in the program spend about 100 hours doing internships at various businesses and organizations in the Triad. They incorporate skills from the program, which emphasizes a liberal arts approach to writing, into the day-to-day demands of the business world. Many of the students interned at magazines, newspapers and advertising agencies.
One of the students, Sarah Umberger of Charlotte, interned at Alamance Magazine in Burlington for the last 14 months. Through discussions with other staff members, she became interested in copy proofing and editing and designed a survey to learn if proofing was more effective when a document was printed out or reviewed on a computer screen.
“I was surprised to find that there wasn’t much difference between looking at a document on paper compared to a monitor,” Umberger said, adding that she expected to find that paper proofing was more effective.
Umberger said the Professional Writing and Rhetoric program, combined with her internship, has prepared her for her first job after college.
“I don’t know if I would be as ready to go out in the business world without this practical experience,” Umberger said.