Lauryn Lovett was an ACT intern in the Communications department in the summer of 2022. As part of her internship, we asked Lauryn to share her college journey, advice for college freshmen, and insight about internships with us. Read what she shared below.
Who has inspired and supported you in your college-going journey?
My parents always instilled in me that I was smart, even when I was failing math class. So, I knew from a young age that college was the next logical step after graduating high school. Neither of my parents had the traditional college experience of staying on campus, so when I got into my dream school two states away, they did everything they could so that I could attend.
What tips would you give college freshmen on how to be successful in their first year?
- Explore without commitment. Your first year is for exploring all of your options without worrying about commitment. Go find organizations you’re interested in and start going to their meetings, but you don’t need to feel like you have to stay involved if it turns out differently than you expected.
- Be open to new interest and extracurriculars. Don’t limit yourself to extracurriculars you had in high school. Sometimes the best experiences are the ones that you didn’t know you had interest in or that you don’t feel qualified for.
- Get to know your professors. While organizations are important, classes come first, so make sure you take advantage of your professors—ask for help and get to know them. You never know when you might need a recommendation in the future.
How has ACT’s internship helped you put what you’ve learned in college into practice?
I am very indecisive and have interests in several different careers, so interning at ACT really allowed me the opportunity to combine those interests in a professional setting. Through the projects I’ve worked on, meeting with people outside of my team, and learning about different paths ACT team members took to get to their roles, I gained insight into what type of work I might be interested in for the future.
What tips do you have for college students who are eager to get work or internship experiences but don’t know how to get started?
One of best things that you can do is apply for anything and everything you have an interest in. I am not the best writer, and I don’t feel like I had all the skills listed for my internship position, but I was interested in developing those skills, so I applied. If I only applied for roles that I had all the skills for, I would be overqualified and leave no room for myself to develop my skills and abilities. Also, don’t forget to use LinkedIn for network building. There are so many opportunities being posted every day, and if you build your network, many of those opportunities will be shared by people you have connected with.
Lauryn Lovett (she/her) is a junior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill double majoring in journalism and political science.