How can you spend the semester interning in Boston as a college student while also making a difference? Through the Semester in the City program, UNH students have the opportunity to earn 16 credits while working an internship in Boston for a semester with a leading social change organization. Students can participate in the program during either the fall or spring semesters. In this blog post, two UNH students share what it's like to spend a semester in Boston with Semester in the City! Meet Sophia Schlichtmann '26, a journalism major and Jordan Wright '27, an urban planning and sustainability dual major.
Where are you interning?
Sophia enjoying the sunshine of Boston Public Garden.
Sophia:
I am interning for the GroundTruth Project (GT), a journalism nonprofit with the mission to serve underrepresented communities by supporting the next generation of journalists to do on-the-ground reporting and to advance sustainability, innovation and equity in journalism worldwide. GroundTruth’s initiatives, Report for the World (RFW) and Report for America (RFA), sponsor reporters and newsrooms whose stories place emphasis on impact and sustainability and cover critical public interest beats like climate, education, health, gender and criminal justice. I serve the organization as an editorial fellow by writing weekly newsletters showcasing our corps members' works, creating a database of national and international reporters and assisting GT staff with their projects.
Jordan's internship office.
Jordan:
I am interning for Leading Cities as the Membership Outreach Fellow.
What does a typical day at your internship look like?
Sophia and mentor Wilson Liévano going over edits of the weekly GT newsletter.
Sophia:
Though Semester in the City classes are in person, my internship is fully remote. I have two Zoom meetings with my mentor, Wilson Liévano, and GT editors/staff each Monday where I get feedback on my writing and am assigned new tasks. Tuesday through Friday, I have the freedom to work on my own schedule. I am currently working on two special projects in addition to writing GT’s weekly newsletter.
For my first project, I am assisting editor Alana Campbell in the creation of an election story map, a collection of various articles relating to different aspects of the 2024 election season, by reading all selected pieces and ranking their quality/usability. For my second project, I am writing roughly 25 posts a week for GT’s X account. One of my favorite places to get work done in Boston is The Boston Public Library (BPL), which was modeled after a Roman Villa and is accessible by the Green Line. When I need to take a break, I walk down to Boston Public Garden with a very sugary iced coffee and look at the ducks!
Jordan participating in an in-class activity.
Jordan:
At Leading Cities, I spend most of my day trying to get new sustainability-related start-ups and investors to be members of my company's unique platform, LaunchPad 11. To do this, I work on email marketing campaigns, meet one-on-one with interested companies, and brainstorm and implement new membership value-adds. I also get the opportunity to attend different events on behalf of Leading Cities that allow me to network and connect with industry experts, innovative entrepreneurs and government employees working in the sustainability and resiliency spaces. Typically, I work in person once a week, and the remaining three working days I work virtually from my Semester in the City apartment in Allston.
What is an important lesson you've learned through Semester in the City?
Sophia attending a Museum of Fine Arts late-night event on a day off.
Sophia:
Each week, I summarize six underrepresented stories from around the nation and the world for GT’s weekly newsletter. The media of the GroundTruth Project engages with controversial topics, divided places/people and people with marginalized identities. Through writing the newsletter, I have learned how one’s biases can influence and be apparent within the things they find important. When writing about unfamiliar countries and issues, the information I feel compelled to highlight might be different from those who are impacted. Therefore, it is crucial that I understand the cultural nuances, identities and ideas present in a work before I can represent it with an accurate, unbiased summary.
Jordan working from home.
Jordan:
So far this semester, I have learned the importance of teamwork and more specifically aligned, value-driven teamwork. My mentor and other colleagues at Leading Cities have a unified, clear vision and goals for the future of the company. Everyone has their own roles in getting there but is more than willing to support others on the team as well. Knowing when to lean on those around me is something I have gotten better at over the course of the semester, which has allowed me to be more effective in my work. The same applies with my roommates, group project teammates and the entire Semester in the City cohort. The quality of these support systems has made my internship and semester experience much more enjoyable.
What does sustainability mean to you and how does it relate to your internship?
Sophia's view working on internship projects at the Boston Public Library.
Sophia:
Sustainability means taking progressive measures to conserve and preserve resources and culture. In our ever-changing technological landscape, journalism is needed, but increasingly underfunded and discouraged. Because of this, newsrooms lack proper funds and resources to hire and assign reporters to important, underrepresented issues. My internship practices sustainability by financially and socially supporting early career journalists to report in newsrooms that may not have had the resources or support to sustain their on-the-ground coverage.
Jordan and friends at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.
Jordan:
I would define sustainability broadly as the prospering of current life, of all forms, without degrading the lives of future generations. I believe three key ingredients to achieve this sustainable goal are community, innovation and action. My internship most closely relates to the community aspect because my goal is to grow the LaunchPad 11 support community for sustainability and resiliency start-ups. This community, which is filled with start-ups, start-up experts, mentors, investors and city officials, leads to increased innovation by our entrepreneurs, which ultimately culminates in action through piloting and scaling of their solutions. Leading Cities is helping to bring together the essential ingredients for building smart, sustainable cities around the world and I play a role in that by bringing in new, innovative start-ups to our support system.
Why should other UNH students consider Semester in the City?
Sophia and Semester in the City cohort baking Pillsbury pumpkin cookies.
Sophia:
UNH students should consider participating in Semester in the City (SITC) to be matched with an internship that will challenge and motivate them to improve their skills and refine their goals in an equally challenging, diverse and exciting environment. Undergoing an internship will only set you further along your career journey, either confirming you want to stay in your major’s field or branch out on a different path. Without SITC, I would not have connected with my mentor, who has encouraged me to improve my writing and not be afraid to share my ideas with our staff of seasoned reporters.
Reflecting on my experiences midway through the program, I am confident that I can apply myself in a fast-paced journalism atmosphere. Further, living in Boston has given me a newfound understanding of the neighborhoods, culture and landscape of the city I plan to continue my education in after college. And if you get homesick for your friends back at school, UNH is accessible from the Amtrak at North Station.
Jordan's apartment's street sign.
Jordan:
Semester in the City has given me the opportunity to have a purposeful impact on a sustainable nonprofit, meet new friends, gain multiple professional connections, try out living in the city and explore more independent living. This semester has taught me more than a semester of classes could ever teach me in terms of practical working skills, work/professional culture and my personal career goals. The support system at Semester in the City makes what can be a very scary first step into the professional world a very welcoming, fun and forgiving experience. As only a sophomore in college, it is rewarding to be making a difference in the sustainability sphere while also learning so much. This semester has brought me confidence, relationships, professional experience and memories that will certainly change the trajectory of the rest of my life; I cannot recommend this experience enough.
learn more about semester in the city
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