When Taylor Falk sat down to write an essay to win an internship with the Cuba Journal, she said she felt like everything fell into place.
The essay, which would determine the winner of an internship created through the partnership between the Miami-based Cuba Journal and the University of Idaho, asked students to write about Ernest Hemingway”s time in Cuba.
Corrin Bond | Rawr
University of Idaho student Taylor Falk is a sophomore studying Spanish and marketing.
The UI sophomore, who is studying Spanish and marketing, didn”t know much about Hemingway, but she said her involvement in the university”s annual Hemingway Festival helped her better understand the author”s relationship with the country.
“Not coming from an English background, I”m not very familiar with Hemingway, but working with the Hemingway Festival, I became a lot more familiar,” Falk said. “Writing the essay, I knew the direction I wanted to go in and it wrote itself a little bit.”
Falk”s involvement with the Hemingway Festival and the Cuba Journal began with a business writing class she took from Jennifer Hawk, a UI English department lecturer.
“I asked for volunteers for an internship and she raised her hand,” Hawk said. “It was non-paid and Taylor said, “I want to do this, I want this experience.””
Although Falk is a full time student and athlete, Hawk said she made time to help out with the festival as a non-paid intern.
When Hawk found out Falk had not only applied for the Cuba Journal internship, but that she had also won, the professor said she was excited.
“I was thrilled for her,” Hawk said. “She”s such a great person and she did such a good job for me, I knew she would do well for them.”
Simons Chase, Cuba Journal editor-in-chief, said the publication, which began one year ago, is a combination of a newspaper and a magazine.
“It has the utility of a newspaper with the looks and depth of a magazine,” Chase said. “It seems to be a good fit for the audience and it”s been an incredible year.”
Chase said he first decided to pair with UI because of the Hemingway Festival”s exploration of the author”s relationship with various places, including Cuba.
“The Hemingway Festival was incredible because Hemingway”s connection to Idaho and the people involved were amazing,” Chase said. “I did the internship award and that”s been a really great way to get some help.”
Now, as a remote intern for the Cuba Journal, she said she researches topics related to Cuba, fact checks articles and is beginning to write stories of her own.
“It”s a learning experience. I”m definitely not from a journalism background and I”m not an English person,” Falk said. “But being able to apply what I”m studying, what I”ve learned in my college experience, and being able to learn different skills has been a really rewarding experience.”
The internship began in March and will continue until May.
Falk said one of her greatest challenges has been finding the time to balance school work, the internship and a member of the swim team.
“Cuba Journal is based in Miami, so I”m dealing with the time difference,” Falk said. “I found it”s doable because I practice early in the morning and I have classes during the day and I”m able to write the articles in the middle.”
Despite having to balance school and internship work, Falk said she would recommend that if the UI-Cuba Journal partnership continues, students should seize the opportunity to be involved.
“I think it”s great to get involved with internships, even if they take place during the school year,” Falk said. “I think it”s very applicable to all my courses, like being able to write these articles and then apply it to my Spanish courses, I can have discussions about Cuba in my Spanish classes and with the internship, you”re put in a real life business setting.”
Corrin Bond can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @CorrBond