Throughout my internship I’ve seen my confidence in my abilities grow.
Molly Hanson
MA Cultural Data Managment and Communication
Internship
Project Consultant at Sheffield Students' Union
Your internship project and responsibilities
During my internship, I conducted my own research to further understand how financial barriers impacted student engagement with Sheffield Students’ Union. My role included communicating with the Sheffield Students’ Union representatives to uncover the aims for this research. I was responsible for conducting secondary research on existing data on financial barriers, and conducting my own research. My research consisted of an online survey, which received 636 responses and 11 individual interviews from 15-20 minutes long. I analysed the data to identify key trends and provided recommendations for Sheffield Students’ Union to address financial barriers limiting student participation.
How did the skills and experiences you’ve built during your degree help you be successful in the role?
My degree in Cultural Data Management and Communication equipped me with effective verbal and written communication, as well as the time management for this role.
The course also taught me the importance of relaying information to different audiences, teaching me to address the workers at Sheffield Students’ Union differently to the students that were interviewed.
Another key elements I acquired from my course was the ability to engage with diverse audiences and establish intercultural communication skills.
There was a diverse spread of international students on my course, and the teaching encouraged students from all backgrounds to communicate and work through barriers (both cultural and language) to produce presentations and projects. This developed my confidence in my ability to adapt my communication depenedent on what the situation requires. This was helpful in my research, as the interviews included a mixture of domestic and international students, and my questions were designed to be simplistic so students could alter it based on their individual experiences.
How will the organisation benefit from the work that you’ve done?
I have provided Sheffield Students’ Union with specific recommendations involving financial barriers, financial stress, based on data collected from 636 online responses and 11 interviews. The large number of survey responses and 80 students willing to be interviewed suggest students are eager to discuss the topic of financial barriers with the Student Union. The discussions are there to highlight future action and research into more specific areas.
How do you see this experience benefiting you in your future career?
Through this experience I have seen my confidence in my abilities grow through online meetings with stakeholders, the positivity received from Sheffield Students’ Union, and interviewing students.
This makes me feel like I can bring something worthwhile to the workplace. Working hard and having positive support throughout has been a great experience, and makes me look forward to going into the workplace, hoping I can find a team as kind and helpful as the one I worked with.
Huiting Yang took on this intership alongside Molly. Read about her experience.
About your student experience
Why did you choose to study Digital Humanities at Sheffield?
It combined my interests in digital technology with the humanities, as I completed my bachelor's in history. The course modules, including the project management module and the e-portfolio, seemed to integrate skills that would be useful when trying to find a job.
What have you enjoyed learning about the most on your course?
I have particularly enjoyed learning about different ways to communicate cultural data using various technological mediums.
This modern approach provides a valuable way to preserve and celebrate significant aspects of different histories, cultures, and heritage. Additionally, I found the ideation and creation process to be extremely beneficial.
It has greatly enhanced my ability to generate ideas both in group settings and individually. The techniques I learned during this part of the course have been so useful that I continue to apply them in my current work.
What are the most valuable skills you have developed during your studies?
The Project Management module proved to be highly valuable, as the skills acquired were directly applicable when preparing applications and during interviews. The core competencies taught in this module were not only beneficial to my individual work but also instrumental in effectively navigating group-based tasks.
Additionally, the course reinforced the importance of embracing challenging tasks. In several projects, I intentionally chose to learn new concepts in areas where I had no prior experience, and this approach consistently yielded positive outcomes. This was particularly evident after completing my e-portfolio, where I gained significant technical knowledge related to my project. Despite starting with little to no understanding of how to develop an application, I was able to successfully build and showcase a functioning app by the end of the course.
What do you plan to do after graduation? Do you have a career goal in mind?
After graduation, I will be joining WSP’s Project Management graduate program, which spans two years.
This role will provide me with the opportunity to develop my project management skills in a professional environment, working on large-scale projects. Upon completing the program, I aim to continue my career progression within the company by pursuing higher management roles. My long-term goal is to take on leadership responsibilities within project management, contributing to the successful delivery of complex projects and ultimately making a significant impact within the organisation.
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