Internships and Co-ops

Career-Ready: Internships, Co-ops Provide Real-World Experience

At Point Park University, internship, co-op and career opportunities are right at your doorstep. You'll be in the perfect spot to pursue a wide range of opportunities. Our Professional Career-Readiness Center is always ready to help you — both before and after you graduate — with internship and job searches, resumes, cover letters and interviewing skills.

Below, meet School of Communication undergraduate and graduate students who have landed an internship or co-op in their field. These students describe how their internship or co-op provides them real-world experience and is helping them to reach their career goals.

Co-op Profile

Please note: The School of Communication recently launched co-op opportunities. More profiles will be added soon.

Marlee Pinchok

Co-op: Reporter, WSAZ-TV
Major: Broadcast Reporting

"I have always had a goal to begin my career before I graduate college, and I was able to accomplish that through Point Park University’s co-op program."

Dara Collins

Co-op: Marketing, PJ Dick
Major: Journalism

"I learned so much about Adobe Creative Cloud, and I can work with InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop better than ever before. I spent most of my time creating social media graphics for events, holidays, employees, email blasts, etc. I also shot video on job sites, which was probably my favorite part of the experience."

Internship Profiles

Justin Stewart

B.A. in journalim, 2023
Media Intern, The Incline

"I had the chance to attend Point Park's High School Journalism Workshop and I really liked the campus and how intimate it felt. Plus, it’s in a good spot in Downtown Pittsburgh to easily walk to different locations."

Genesis Harshell

B.F.A. in graphic + interactive design, 2022
Intern, Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens

"I love that I get to work on something different every day. I may prepare a wedding blog and work on social media posts about finding Bigfoot in our Garden Railroad one day, while another I get to actually walk around the Conservatory and take behind-the-scenes photos of our Winter Flower Show install for our Instagram story."

Nick Konopka

B.A. in broadcasting, 2023
Intern, Meet the Press

"The size of Point Park makes it easy to get experience right out of the gate. We are not so big that professors and organizations feel too out of reach. So, you can not only form valuable relationships with professors, but also dive head first into whatever you are interested in."

Ashley Daugherty

B.F.A. in graphic + interactive design, 2023
Intern, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

"At my internship, I wrote and illustrated an interactive children’s book titled Larry the Lock to help bridge the gap on river navigation education."

Erin Yudt

B.A. in journalism, 2024
Intern, The Herald

"What makes Point Park's journalism program distinctive from other universities is a focus on real-world experiences, personable faculty and staff and diverse class options."

Zoey Angelucci

B.A. in journalism, 2022
Intern, Koppers

"Because of the University's location and connections in Downtown Pittsburgh, I've gained real-world experience working for Koppers, Allegheny Conference on Community Development, The Pittsburgh Foundation and The Incline."

Grace Balzer

B.A. in journalism, 2022
Intern, Penguins Radio Network

"The journalism program at Point Park is one of the top programs around. Students gain hands-on experience outside of the classroom, which is much more beneficial than sitting in a classroom for four years."

Gianna DiPaolo

B.A. in PR and advertising, 2022
Social Media and Content Intern, Fresh Nostalgia

"They don’t treat this like a typical college at Point Park, but rather encourage you to think outside of the box and learn from real-world situations and experiences. My professors, like Camille Downing and Jenna LoCastro, have pushed me to do my best and encouraged me to learn more about the industry in a way that makes sense to me."

Alysse Baer

B.A. in Graphic and Interactive Design, 2021
Digital Design Intern, Responsival

"I wanted to go to school in the Pittsburgh area, and after looking at surrounding schools, I decided that Point Park would be the university for me. It was one of the only schools in the area with a program solely focused on graphic design."

Kelsee McHugh

B.A. in Multimedia, 2021
PR & Advertising Minor
Digital Media Intern, Schneider's Dairy

"I’d recommend Point Park’s multimedia program because of the countless opportunities accessible to you, the professionalism of the program and the caring faculty that ensures you are on the pathway to success."

Camryn Drabenstadt

B.F.A. in Photography, 2021
Graphic Design Minor
Student Scholar, Silver Eye Center for Photography

"I’ve met so many talented, creative people in my time here, and the relationships I’ve made at my internships and in my program have helped me gain so many new skills, refine my work and projects and reach my goals. I am forever grateful."

Taylor Spirito

Broadcast reporting major, graduating in 2021
Media Relations Intern, Pittsburgh Penguins

"My internship was all about handling the media to ensure they had the proper resources to do their jobs ... It feels like I had a networking opportunity everywhere I turned! My job led to me constantly being surrounded by professionals not just in the Penguins organization, but media from all over the country and beyond."

Meghan Macioce

M.A./MBA, graduating in 2022
B.A. in broadcast reporting '19
Global Talent Development Intern, Mylan

"Talent Development aims to improve individual and group performance by increasing and honing skills and knowledge. My responsibilities include updating weekly analytics on training software, creating training videos, hosting Intern get togethers outside of the program, attending meetings and uploading users to the training software."

Mallory Neil

Photography major, graduating in 2023
Photography Intern, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC

"I chose Point Park when I found out about all of the opportunities students were getting, and not just juniors and seniors, but freshmen and sophomores, too! When I toured, they told me if I wanted the opportunities to go after them. This was really encouraging to me as a senior in high school and I really felt like Point Park wanted the best for me."

Nicole Fuschino

Broadcast Reporting major, graduated in 2020
Intern, NBC's TODAY Show

"My internship at the TODAY Show was a dream come true ... Without taking advantage of the opportunities Pittsburgh and Point Park had to offer, I am confident that I would have never been able to intern at TODAY."

Kayla Snyder

PR & Advertising major, graduated in 2020
New Product Marketing Intern, Beyond Spots & Dots

"The urban location makes it so easy to secure multiple internships. Without the proximity to so many companies, I would never have been able to secure five internships in my time here. If you want to know the ins-and-outs of a textbook, choose a different school. If you want to know real-world knowledge that's applicable in internships and jobs, choose Point Park. You won't regret it."

Morgan McCoy

Public Relations and Advertising major, graduated in 2019
Event Planning Intern, Grant Street Group

"Point Park is small in a way where I don't know every student, but I do know someone will always be available to give me the attention I need to be successful. It was the best decision I have ever made."

Keera Frye

Broadcast Reporting major, graduated in 2020
Communications Intern, The Community Foundation of Westmoreland County

"My undergraduate experience at Point Park thus far has helped me do great work as an intern. I improved a lot of the skills required at my internship as an undergraduate student, from writing in AP style to becoming more comfortable in networking settings."

Kimberly Keagy

Broadcast Reporting major, graduated in 2019
Editorial Intern, Al-Arabiya News Channel
Studying at Institute of Political Journalism

"I have worked on a variety of projects during my internship. I usually produce at least one package related to the news of the day, logging interviews and conducting in-depth research for future packages. I worked on two documentaries about the high cost of prescription drugs in the U.S. and about the increased number of Arab-American women running in the 2018 election."

Alex Grubbs

Broadcast Reporting major, graduated in 2018
Media Research Center Intern, CNSNews.com

"My two favorite parts of my internship thus far are the amazing people I've met, from reporters to fellow students, and working on Capitol Hill ... Point Park is one of the best schools to get an education if you're ready to work. The moment you walk in you're already immersed into hands-on experiences I feel you can't get as quickly at other schools."

Josh Croup

Broadcast Reporting major, graduated in 2018
Media/Public Relations Intern, Pittsburgh Pirates

"I wouldn't be with the Pirates if I didn't get involved with Point Park's Pittsburgh Center for Sports Media and Marketing. As a member of the group, I had the chance to attend the Baseball Winter Meetings during my freshman year. It was there that I landed a video production internship with the West Virginia Power, the Class-A affiliate of the Pirates."

Kariann Mano

Public Relations and Advertising major, graduated in 2016
Marketing Communications Intern, Carnegie Science Center

"Since I've been exposed to working with the media in this internship and all of the research I've completed, it has really opened my eyes into the diverse field of PR."

Brittany Lauffer

Broadcast major, graduated in 2016
News Intern, KDKA-TV

"Point Park has helped me tremendously in working towards my dream job. Not only do we have media professionals as our professors, but we also are given endless opportunities for networking and different internships in the Pittsburgh media community."

Phillip Poupore

Journalism major, graduated in 2016
Copy Editor Intern, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

"One of my professors, Andrew Conte, is a reporter at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. He sent an email to students in his class about the internship opportunity and it was definitely something I was interested in. I applied and landed the position."

Laura Jennings

M.A. in Communication Technology, graduated in 2014
Marketing/Social Media Intern, Bally Design

"I am working on marketing and social media by establishing and maintaining social media channels and developing a content calendar that includes a company blog and upcoming e-newsletter. I am also writing case studies and summaries of the firm's product design and development projects with national companies."

Emily Kolek

M.A./MBA, graduated in 2016
Internal Communications Intern, Westinghouse

"I'm given real, meaningful work assignments and held to the same standards that full-time employees are held to. I've worked on a variety of communications projects, including planning a leadership meeting, assisting with development of presentations, writing articles and emails for distribution to broad employee audiences and assisting in a video production project."

Katelyn Howard

Public Relations and Advertising major, graduated in 2014
Communications Intern, Senator John Heinz History Center

"My key responsibilities were to help promote the museum to the public. I tracked media exposure, promoted events and exhibit openings and completed a variety of professional writing projects. I hope that all Point Park students take advantage of the professional opportunities available to them so close to our Downtown Pittsburgh campus."