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Senior lands MTV internship by networking with alumni

As Nicole Reiff ´10 browsed through the Alumni Online Community during her junior year, hoping to find alumni to speak with about their careers, Tara Mullins ´04 caught her eye - and not just because she worked for MTV.

"I noticed right away that we were both Hispanic studies majors," Reiff said. "There aren´t a lot of us out there, and speaking with Tara seemed like a great way to see how I could use my major."

Once Reiff contacted Mullins, they hit it off right away, talking about their shared major and Reiff´s study away experience in Barcelona. Then Mullins, a producer at MTV Tr3s Digital, offered Reiff a ten-week position as an online production intern through the college's career office.

"I got a great education at Connecticut College," said Mullins. "I knew since Nicole went through the same program that she´d be able to handle the job." MTV Tr3s, the Latin extension of MTV developed for bicultural youth, revolves around the fusion of Anglo and Latino cultures in the United States.

The position gave Reiff plenty of opportunities to practice her language skills last summer, since the site and television station offer programming in Spanish.

"This job really showed how I could apply my liberal arts experience," Reiff said. "Now I see how I can use Spanish in a business-office setting."

As part of the internship, Reiff had an opportunity to write copy in Spanish, blog, create online photo galleries and edit the MTV Tr3s Web site.

"She was smart as a whip and ready to take charge," said Mullins. Mullins has since become an online content manager at Time Warner Cable but said that she´d love to work with Reiff again someday - and added that MTV has given Reiff an open invitation to come back, too.

Reiff has not yet decided what she wants to do when she graduates but is sure that members of the Connecticut College community will play a role in her next chapter. "If you meet other alumni - whether it´s through the online community or abroad - they welcome you with open arms," Reiff said. "I know that´s going to come in handy when I graduate." - By Rachel Harrington



December 24, 2009