Learning-by-Doing Experience Charts My Career Path

By Gloria Waithera Kinyanjui

Growing up in central Kenya I always had a keen interest in working in a different location; so when I heard about student internship placement offered by Lola Kenya Screen, I wasted little time in applying for a Public Relations position; I was about to step into the job market, it being my last semester in university. The pre-internship placement interview was challenging but I finally got accepted into the programme.

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Arriving at Lola on February 10, 2016, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I had never worked in an organisation so was nervous I wouldn’t fit in. Though it is no longer located in the Nairobi Central Business District, I knew this creative and cultural entrepreneurship organization would equip me with requisite skills.

Six weeks into the 12-week programme, every day has become a test with so many lessons to learn. I have never felt so challenged to produce results. So many times I feel like quitting. But it is the realisation that getting such an opportunity that allows me to grow is rare is what keeps me going. Fighting on.

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The experience at Lola Kenya Screen has shown me how much further I still have to go in order to be ready for the Public Relations job market. Mine has turned out to be not just an internship that equips me with skills but also helps me discover my capabilities and build my confidence to speak eloquently and write coherently.

The experience at Lola Kenya Screen is one that challenges me to get out of my comfort zone,  stop being a spoon-fed child on campus and take charge of my destiny; keep my work environment clean, be open-minded and receptive to change, and produce results under minimal supervision and on tight deadlines.

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Want an organisation that helps identify and harness the media and information skills you aren’t aware you possess? Apply for the 12-week skills-development programme at Lola Kenya Screen.

Lola Kenya Screen offers 8-16-week internship to final year university students in Media and Information Literacy, Creative writing, Cultural Journalism, Critical Appreciation of Creativity, Event Planning and Presentation, Movie Production, Graphic Design and Website Development.Eligible are students of Media, Information, Communication, Journalism, Mass Communication, TV/Video Production, Visual Communication, Advertising, Literature and related disciplines.