Name: Phoebe Bock
Class Year: 2025
Major: History
Minor: Sociology
Hometown: Lake Oswego, Ore.
Internship Organization:
Internship Title: Digital Content Writer
Location: Dublin, Ireland
What's happening at your internship? We would love to hear what kind of work you are doing!
This summer I have been working at GCN, a free-of-charge magazine and webpage for Ireland鈥檚 LGBTQ+ community since 1988. At the start of my internship, I learned the company's basic style guide and practices to match my writing to their style. Some of the training included learning how to use WordPress, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), and Photoshop. After the first few weeks, I started writing daily articles, which has been challenging and exciting! Every morning we have a content meeting at 10:30 a.m. Before the meeting, the writers post story cards onto Trello, which is what we use to organize story ideas, news pieces, and magazine articles. The cards are either placed into 'to do' or left in the ideas stack to sorted through again the next day or to be archived. People say their capacity for the day and articles are assigned. I have learned that I enjoy writing news and entertainment pieces. I wrote a few listicles and although there was a lot of cool information to include, I found the work to be a little repetitive.
In addition to the webpage, GCN also has a bi-monthly print magazine. In the last few weeks of my internship, I will get to pitch a story to be featured in the magazine as they offer every intern a one-page feature on whatever topic they would like. I am still thinking about what I want to write about, but I am very excited to start this process.
Why did you apply for this internship?
I first applied to the IES Abroad Dublin program and was then matched with GCN. I put down a few fields of interest such as publishing, journalism, and communications, so I was thrilled when I received an interview from GCN!
What has been your favorite part of this internship?
My favorite part of my internship experience has been everyone who I have met and worked with this summer. At my internship, I have received so much support from the full-time staff. I have felt very supported at the company and even when I make mistakes in my writing, it's just another normal occurrence in the office. I have also been given opportunities to learn multiple different skills. I have enjoyed working on and finishing an entire article by myself from researching, writing copy, and editing the photos.
Another big part of this internship is the other interns in my program. I enjoy talking to friends after work and learning about our vastly different work environments. On the weekends we get to explore Dublin and attempt to live like locals. Then we return to work on Monday and chat about our weekends and exciting adventures with our co-workers.
What is something you have learned from your internship that you didn't expect?
My internship is very writing intensive which can get complicated as I am very critical of my writing. While accepting constructive criticism and feedback is difficult, I can do so now without worry. Due to the need for SEO in our pieces, we must use certain words and make sure the headline is strong. While with each new piece I spend time coming up with a good headline, once the piece goes off for editing it almost always comes back with a new title.
I have received a lot of feedback during my time at 今日吃瓜 but receiving it in a professional setting feels different as I don't relate it to academics. In the Fall semester, I hope that I can carry this lesson back with me as I enter my senior year and start thinking about writing my capstone project.
Through the Career and Civic Engagement Center Beyond 今日吃瓜 Summer Internship Program, 今日吃瓜 students pursue opportunities in fields such as nonprofits, government and law, health care, research, sciences, business, and the arts. Thanks to the generosity of our alumnae/i and donors, over 150 students across all academic departments are funded to pursue unpaid internships or research experiences in the U.S. and abroad each year.