{"id":6239,"date":"2022-05-06T15:50:45","date_gmt":"2022-05-06T19:50:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/?p=6239"},"modified":"2023-12-11T15:45:26","modified_gmt":"2023-12-11T20:45:26","slug":"internships-inequalities-breaking-barriers-higher-education","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/internships-inequalities-breaking-barriers-higher-education\/","title":{"rendered":"Guest Blog: Internships, Inequalities, and Breaking Barriers Through Higher Education"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><button id=\"listenButton1\" class=\"responsivevoice-button\" type=\"button\" value=\"Play\" title=\"ResponsiveVoice Tap to Start\/Stop Speech\"><span>&#128266; Listen to this article<\/span><\/button>\n        <script>\n            listenButton1.onclick = function(){\n                if(responsiveVoice.isPlaying()){\n                    responsiveVoice.cancel();\n                }else{\n                    responsiveVoice.speak(\"In recent years, calls to end unpaid internships have become increasingly common. Professional organizations and students have become more vocal about the inequities perpetuated by this business practice, particularly in correlation with exponential increases in student loan debt, growing technology, and wealth gaps. Further, pre-pandemic, there was already a sense that internships were essentially replacing entry-level jobs. And the exasperation of seeing entry-level positions that require 1 to 2 years of experience is well-documented. This has only been exacerbated by the ongoing pandemic, which left many students without internship options. The problem is that internships and the need for practical experience isn\u2019t going anywhere.\u00a0 Research suggests that having a history of internships increases a student\u2019s chances of getting a job. But as students compete for internships \u2014 even paying for placement services \u2014 and entry-level jobs, it\u2019s becoming easier to see how students from different socioeconomic backgrounds are facing an uphill battle. What I learned working with dozens of students seeking internships and career advice For the past seven years, I have taught public relations courses at Towson University. While teaching core courses such as public relations writing, corporate communication management, and the capstone-level public relations campaigns, I was lucky enough to find myself preparing students for industry. Each semester, I served as a faculty internship supervisor, academic advisor, and mentor to dozens of students seeking career advice. Sadly, working so closely with students also gave me direct insight into the inequities created by the internship process.\u00a0 For context, it\u2019s important to note that Towson is a Predominantly White Institution (PWI) but is notable for its relatively diverse student population. In 2019-2020, approximately 32% of students identified as non-White.\u00a0 However, student diversity went well beyond the measured and reported student data. Many of the students in my courses had transferred to Towson from community colleges and other universities. I also had an increasing number of first-generation, immigrant, and non-traditional students, many of which were living with or supporting families in the Baltimore area. In line with commentary about the inequities wrought by unpaid internships, I found that the more I taught upper-level courses, the more I saw the challenges students faced when they didn\u2019t have one on their resume.\u00a0 Many students simply didn\u2019t have the luxury to complete internships\u00a0 I lost count of how many students worked full-time or had multiple part-time jobs to make ends meet in a major metropolitan area. They were supporting themselves and often supporting their families, and they simply didn\u2019t have the financial safety nets required to work for free. While I marveled at these students and how they juggled their schedules in order to work while completing their degrees, I couldn\u2019t help reflecting on my time as a graduate student at Penn State University (PSU).\u00a0 Located in the middle of Pennsylvania, the area surrounding PSU\u2019s main campus afforded students few options for industry internships during the school year. Instead, students focused on classes before scattering across the country during the summer to complete competitive internships with leading organizations.\u00a0 Although this was partially a function of the university\u2019s location, it was also indicative of the socioeconomic privileges many students benefited from. These were the same privileges that allowed them to attend a top-tier university with deep and prestigious industry connections. This is not to say that Towson did not afford its students impressive industry opportunities. Rather, it highlights how disparities start when people are in school. The more my students needed to work to survive, the less chances they had to seek unpaid or competitive industry internships.\u00a0 The fewer opportunities they had, the harder time they had finding jobs. My frustration grew with each graduating class as I watched some of my best and brightest students passed over for jobs they were well-prepared to tackle. No matter how hard they pushed to balance work and school schedules, they were judged for their lack of \u201cprofessional experience\u201d \u2013 for their lack of internships. It didn\u2019t take long for me to question how I could structure my classes to give students experience they could bring to entry-level positions\u00a0 I implemented service-learning as a logical first step, and I developed semester-long projects that could be turned into professional portfolios. I also leaned heavily on guest speakers and professional development experiences with the hopes of creating networking opportunities for students. But for a faculty member doing this work independently, this was hard. It meant significantly adding to my already overstuffed workload. I was constantly juggling planning and communication with course clients, guest speakers, and department and university offices to make sure I had the resources to provide these experiences. Still, I never regretted my approach to teaching because these efforts eventually started paying off. Although I wish even more students would have had these outcomes, I slowly started hearing stories about coursework and networking connections leading to internships and entry-level positions.\u00a0 Ultimately, with the support of my professional community, I started seeing how we could begin to chip away at barriers created by the unpaid internship model. I also realized how important it was to have the support of my local professional community. What you can do to help create solutions If a company is truly committed to strengthening its DEI approaches \u2014 especially when it comes to hiring and retaining quality employees \u2014 the most logical first step is to pay its interns. As internships become increasingly technical, and interns are expected to complete meaningful work for companies, their pay should reflect the skills required to do the job. However, creating more equitable circumstances for students entering the internship and job markets can go far beyond this first step. There are multiple ways in which companies can volunteer their time and skills to educators and in the classroom that can meaningfully help chip away at the disparities many students face as they begin their careers. Be a guest speaker. At this point, it\u2019s impossible for me to convey the value of the guest speakers who have given time to my classes. Not only because of the insights they provide but also because of the networking opportunities they create for students who may not have the time or resources to make these connections independently. Reach out to see how you can help. Especially if you\u2019ve had a good group of interns from a specific university, college, or department, reach out to department leaders or faculty who are teaching relevant courses to see how you might be able to support students. Also consider contacting faculty advisors for student groups to see what resources or educational opportunities they might be interested in pursuing. Invite students to your events. If you can, do this for free. If you can\u2019t, consider how you can offer a discounted group rate. My local professional chapter did this for an online conference during the pandemic and it allowed us to engage with both regional and far-flung students. Review faculty materials and assignments. Staying connected to industry best practices, standards, and advancements takes a considerable amount of time for faculty who are no longer practicing their profession. A simple way to support faculty is to quickly review their materials to provide insight regarding the skills being taught. This action can help faculty stay current while also helping students be better prepared for the jobs they\u2019ll eventually apply for. Offer software demonstrations. New software and applications are constantly being adopted in industry. It\u2019s not always easy for faculty in higher education to reflect these tools in the classroom, particularly when they are cost prohibitive. Software demonstrations can at least expose students (and faculty) to the latest tools, giving them a better understanding of the types of skills they might want to develop. Recognize in-class work as related and relevant experience. A student may not have completed an internship, but if they have a portfolio or can meaningfully discuss work completed in the classroom, give them a chance. I purposefully structured my public relations campaigns course so students would have experience working through and strategically developing a proposed campaign for a real client. A handful of my students have landed positions because they were able to show and discuss their projects, highlighting their foundational knowledge. All told, I count myself as incredibly fortunate to have been able to build a network of professionals who were downright enthusiastic about giving back in the classroom. I\u2019ve had guest speakers, feedback on assignments, and insights from industry professionals that helped me shape both what I taught in class and the guidance I provided students as they navigated their transition from college to industry. Ultimately, the most valuable thing an organization can do to prepare students more equitably for participation in the workforce is to offer paid internships.\u00a0 But in lieu of \u2013 or in addition to \u2013 doing that, there are still numerous ways for an organization to change the conversation about internships and entry level jobs. Giving back to the community by building relationships with faculty and students can both showcase and shape your organizational culture, while also creating opportunities to be more mindful about how your organization contributes to and improves the entry-level market. Melanie Formentin, Ph.D., APR is an independent researcher who spent seven years teaching public relations courses at Towson University. Her research emphasizes relationship management theory, corporate social responsibility (CSR) and care ethics. Specifically, she privileges understanding audience perspectives to build relationships and measure organizational successes. Her interest in bridging theory and practice means she\u2019s remained an active member of her professional community. In addition to being regularly involved in her local PRSA chapters, she emphasized creating transferable, practical experiences for students in the classroom. While returning to industry, Formentin has continued researching the application and evaluation of care-based values and practices in public relations.\", \"US English Male\");\n                }\n            };\n        <\/script>\n     <\/br><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In recent years, calls to end unpaid internships have become increasingly common. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/instituteforpr.org\/unpaid-internships-and-inequality-in-public-relations\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Professional organizations<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bcheights.com\/2021\/02\/07\/unpaid-internships-facilitate-economic-inequality\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">students<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> have become more vocal about the inequities perpetuated by this business practice, particularly in correlation with exponential <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/educationdata.org\/student-loan-debt-statistics\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">increases in student loan debt<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/01\/11\/technology\/income-inequality-technology.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">growing technology, and wealth gaps<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Further, pre-pandemic, there was already a sense that internships were essentially <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/time.com\/5342599\/history-of-interns-internships\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">replacing entry-level jobs<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. And the exasperation of seeing entry-level positions that require <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.themuse.com\/advice\/what-to-do-when-entrylevel-positions-need-two-years-of-experience\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1 to 2 years of experience<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is well-documented. This has only been exacerbated by the ongoing pandemic, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/money\/2020\/aug\/30\/no-internships-no-entry-level-work-under-25s-fear-a-jobs-squeeze\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">which left many students without internship options<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The problem is that internships and the need for practical experience isn\u2019t going anywhere.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Research suggests that having a history of internships increases a student\u2019s <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nber.org\/papers\/w26729\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">chances of getting a job<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. But as students compete for internships \u2014 <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.newamerica.org\/education-policy\/edcentral\/how-internship-industry-perpetuates-inequity\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">even paying for placement services<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2014 and entry-level jobs, it\u2019s becoming easier to see how students from different socioeconomic backgrounds are facing an uphill battle.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>What I learned working with dozens of students seeking internships and career advice<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For the past seven years, I have taught public relations courses at Towson University. While teaching core courses such as public relations writing, corporate communication management, and the capstone-level public relations campaigns, I was lucky enough to find myself preparing students for industry. Each semester, I served as a faculty internship supervisor, academic advisor, and mentor to dozens of students seeking career advice.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sadly, working so closely with students also gave me direct insight into the inequities created by the internship process.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For context, it\u2019s important to note that Towson is a Predominantly White Institution (PWI) but is notable for its relatively diverse student population. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.towson.edu\/ir\/documents\/s_hdct_car_coll_eth.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 2019-2020<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, approximately 32% of students identified as non-White.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, student diversity went well beyond the measured and reported student data. Many of the students in my courses had transferred to Towson from community colleges and other universities. I also had an increasing number of first-generation, immigrant, and non-traditional students, many of which were living with or supporting families in the Baltimore area.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In line with commentary about the inequities wrought by unpaid internships, I found that the more I taught upper-level courses, the more I saw the challenges students faced when they didn\u2019t have one on their resume.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/library\/%20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-8874 size-large lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/NEW-TDM-Library-Display-Ad_Large-B-1024x341.png\" alt=\"TDM Library. Your one-stop-shop for update DEI Resources. Explore with a free trial. Click here to learn more.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"341\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/NEW-TDM-Library-Display-Ad_Large-B-1024x341.png 1024w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/NEW-TDM-Library-Display-Ad_Large-B-600x200.png 600w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/NEW-TDM-Library-Display-Ad_Large-B-300x100.png 300w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/NEW-TDM-Library-Display-Ad_Large-B-768x256.png 768w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/NEW-TDM-Library-Display-Ad_Large-B.png 1200w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1024px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1024\/341;\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Many students simply didn\u2019t have the luxury to complete internships<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I lost count of how many students worked full-time or had multiple part-time jobs to make ends meet in a major metropolitan area. They were supporting themselves and often supporting their families, and they simply didn\u2019t have the financial safety nets required to work for free.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While I marveled at these students and how they juggled their schedules in order to work while completing their degrees, I couldn\u2019t help reflecting on my time as a graduate student at Penn State University (PSU).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Located in the middle of Pennsylvania, the area surrounding PSU\u2019s main campus afforded students few options for industry internships during the school year. Instead, students focused on classes before scattering across the country during the summer to complete competitive internships with leading organizations.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although this was partially a function of the university\u2019s location, it was also indicative of the socioeconomic privileges many students benefited from. These were the same privileges that allowed them to attend a top-tier university with deep and prestigious industry connections.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is not to say that Towson did not afford its students impressive industry opportunities. Rather, it highlights how disparities start when people are in school. The more my students needed to work to survive, the less chances they had to seek unpaid or competitive industry internships.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The fewer opportunities they had, the harder time they had finding jobs. My frustration grew with each graduating class as I watched some of my best and brightest students passed over for jobs they were well-prepared to tackle. No matter how hard they pushed to balance work and school schedules, they were judged for their lack of \u201cprofessional experience\u201d \u2013 for their lack of internships.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>It didn\u2019t take long for me to question how I could structure my classes to give students experience they could bring to entry-level positions\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I implemented service-learning as a logical first step, and I developed semester-long projects that could be turned into professional portfolios. I also leaned heavily on guest speakers and professional development experiences with the hopes of creating networking opportunities for students.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But for a faculty member doing this work independently, this was hard. It meant significantly adding to my already overstuffed workload. I was constantly juggling planning and communication with course clients, guest speakers, and department and university offices to make sure I had the resources to provide these experiences.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Still, I never regretted my approach to teaching because these efforts eventually started paying off. Although I wish even more students would have had these outcomes, I slowly started hearing stories about coursework and networking connections leading to internships and entry-level positions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ultimately, with the support of my professional community, I started seeing how we could begin to chip away at barriers created by the unpaid internship model. I also realized how important it was to have the support of my local professional community.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/dei-navigator\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-6242 size-full lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/DEI-Nav-Banner-Ad.png\" alt=\"display ad for DEI Navigator featuring icons\" width=\"1200\" height=\"400\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/DEI-Nav-Banner-Ad.png 1200w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/DEI-Nav-Banner-Ad-600x200.png 600w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/DEI-Nav-Banner-Ad-300x100.png 300w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/DEI-Nav-Banner-Ad-1024x341.png 1024w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/DEI-Nav-Banner-Ad-768x256.png 768w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1200px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1200\/400;\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h3>What you can do to help create solutions<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If a company is truly committed to strengthening its DEI approaches \u2014 especially when it comes to hiring and retaining quality employees \u2014 the most logical first step is to pay its interns. As internships become increasingly technical, and interns are expected to complete meaningful work for companies, their pay should reflect the skills required to do the job.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, creating more equitable circumstances for students entering the internship and job markets can go far beyond this first step. There are multiple ways in which companies can volunteer their time and skills to educators and in the classroom that can meaningfully help chip away at the disparities many students face as they begin their careers.<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><b>Be a guest speaker.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> At this point, it\u2019s impossible for me to convey the value of the guest speakers who have given time to my classes. Not only because of the insights they provide but also because of the networking opportunities they create for students who may not have the time or resources to make these connections independently.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Reach out to see how you can help. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Especially if you\u2019ve had a good group of interns from a specific university, college, or department, reach out to department leaders or faculty who are teaching relevant courses to see how you might be able to support students. Also consider contacting faculty advisors for student groups to see what resources or educational opportunities they might be interested in pursuing.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Invite students to your events. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you can, do this for free. If you can\u2019t, consider how you can offer a discounted group rate. My local professional chapter did this for an online conference during the pandemic and it allowed us to engage with both regional and far-flung students.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Review faculty materials and assignments. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Staying connected to industry best practices, standards, and advancements takes a considerable amount of time for faculty who are no longer practicing their profession. A simple way to support faculty is to quickly review their materials to provide insight regarding the skills being taught. This action can help faculty stay current while also helping students be better prepared for the jobs they\u2019ll eventually apply for.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Offer software demonstrations. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">New software and applications are constantly being adopted in industry. It\u2019s not always easy for faculty in higher education to reflect these tools in the classroom, particularly when they are cost prohibitive. Software demonstrations can at least expose students (and faculty) to the latest tools, giving them a better understanding of the types of skills they might want to develop.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Recognize in-class work as related and relevant experience. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A student may not have completed an internship, but if they have a portfolio or can meaningfully discuss work completed in the classroom, give them a chance. I purposefully structured my public relations campaigns course so students would have experience working through and strategically developing a proposed campaign for a real client. A handful of my students have landed positions because they were able to show and discuss their projects, highlighting their foundational knowledge.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All told, I count myself as incredibly fortunate to have been able to build a network of professionals who were downright enthusiastic about giving back in the classroom. I\u2019ve had guest speakers, feedback on assignments, and insights from industry professionals that helped me shape both what I taught in class and the guidance I provided students as they navigated their transition from college to industry.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Ultimately, the most valuable thing an organization can do to prepare students more equitably for participation in the workforce is to offer paid internships.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But in lieu of \u2013 or in addition to \u2013 doing that, there are still numerous ways for an organization to change the conversation about internships and entry level jobs. Giving back to the community by building relationships with faculty and students can both showcase and shape your organizational culture, while also creating opportunities to be more mindful about how your organization contributes to and improves the entry-level market.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/library\/%20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-8047 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/TDM-Library-Footer-Ad-B-1024x85.png\" alt=\"Display ad for TDM Library. Text says &quot;Find more content like this in TDM Library. Start my free trial&quot;\" width=\"1024\" height=\"85\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/TDM-Library-Footer-Ad-B-1024x85.png 1024w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/TDM-Library-Footer-Ad-B-600x50.png 600w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/TDM-Library-Footer-Ad-B-300x25.png 300w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/TDM-Library-Footer-Ad-B-768x64.png 768w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/TDM-Library-Footer-Ad-B.png 1200w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1024px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1024\/85;\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/melanie-formentin\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Melanie Formentin<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Ph.D., APR is an independent researcher who spent seven years teaching public relations courses at Towson University. Her research emphasizes relationship management theory, corporate social responsibility (CSR) and care ethics. Specifically, she privileges understanding audience perspectives to build relationships and measure organizational successes. Her interest in bridging theory and practice means she\u2019s remained an active member of her professional community. In addition to being regularly involved in her local PRSA chapters, she emphasized creating transferable, practical experiences for students in the classroom. While returning to industry, Formentin has continued researching the application and evaluation of care-based values and practices in public relations.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In recent years, calls to end unpaid internships have become increasingly common. Professional organizations and students have become more vocal about the inequities perpetuated by this business practice, particularly in15<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6240,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[58,5],"tags":[79],"tdm_type":[89],"class_list":["post-6239","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-trends-industry-insights","category-blogs","tag-personal-stories","tdm_type-podcasts"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Guest Blog: Internships, Inequalities, and Breaking Barriers Through Higher Education - The Diversity Movement<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Calls to end unpaid internships have become increasingly common. Inequities perpetuated by this business practice include exponential increases in student loan debt and growing technology and wealth gaps.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/internships-inequalities-breaking-barriers-higher-education\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Guest Blog: Internships, Inequalities, and Breaking Barriers Through Higher Education - The Diversity Movement\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Calls to end unpaid internships have become increasingly common. Inequities perpetuated by this business practice include exponential increases in student loan debt and growing technology and wealth gaps.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/internships-inequalities-breaking-barriers-higher-education\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Diversity Movement\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/thediversitymovement\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-05-06T19:50:45+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-12-11T20:45:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Screen-Shot-2022-05-06-at-3.39.20-PM-1024x678.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"678\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Walk West\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Walk West\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/internships-inequalities-breaking-barriers-higher-education\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/internships-inequalities-breaking-barriers-higher-education\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Walk West\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/#\/schema\/person\/96226c18fc3fda99e138ea5726960e51\"},\"headline\":\"Guest Blog: Internships, Inequalities, and Breaking Barriers Through Higher Education\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-05-06T19:50:45+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-12-11T20:45:26+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/internships-inequalities-breaking-barriers-higher-education\/\"},\"wordCount\":1658,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/internships-inequalities-breaking-barriers-higher-education\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Screen-Shot-2022-05-06-at-3.39.20-PM.png\",\"keywords\":[\"Personal Stories\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Trends &amp; Industry Insights\",\"x Blogs\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/internships-inequalities-breaking-barriers-higher-education\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/internships-inequalities-breaking-barriers-higher-education\/\",\"name\":\"Guest Blog: Internships, Inequalities, and Breaking Barriers Through Higher Education - The Diversity Movement\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/internships-inequalities-breaking-barriers-higher-education\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/internships-inequalities-breaking-barriers-higher-education\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Screen-Shot-2022-05-06-at-3.39.20-PM.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-05-06T19:50:45+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-12-11T20:45:26+00:00\",\"description\":\"Calls to end unpaid internships have become increasingly common. Inequities perpetuated by this business practice include exponential increases in student loan debt and growing technology and wealth gaps.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/internships-inequalities-breaking-barriers-higher-education\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/internships-inequalities-breaking-barriers-higher-education\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/internships-inequalities-breaking-barriers-higher-education\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Screen-Shot-2022-05-06-at-3.39.20-PM.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Screen-Shot-2022-05-06-at-3.39.20-PM.png\",\"width\":2120,\"height\":1404,\"caption\":\"Young trainees walking in office hallway and discussing ideas\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/internships-inequalities-breaking-barriers-higher-education\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Podcasts\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/type\/podcasts\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Guest Blog: Internships, Inequalities, and Breaking Barriers Through Higher Education\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/\",\"name\":\"The Diversity Movement\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"The Diversity Movement\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Stack-Blue.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Stack-Blue.jpg\",\"width\":1500,\"height\":619,\"caption\":\"The Diversity Movement\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/thediversitymovement\/\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/thediversitymovement\/\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/thediversitymovement\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/#\/schema\/person\/96226c18fc3fda99e138ea5726960e51\",\"name\":\"Walk West\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/098990f08f15560a82addd4bf4c3ec68a20487d4d17beade5a7e24775b385f86?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/098990f08f15560a82addd4bf4c3ec68a20487d4d17beade5a7e24775b385f86?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Walk West\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Guest Blog: Internships, Inequalities, and Breaking Barriers Through Higher Education - The Diversity Movement","description":"Calls to end unpaid internships have become increasingly common. Inequities perpetuated by this business practice include exponential increases in student loan debt and growing technology and wealth gaps.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/internships-inequalities-breaking-barriers-higher-education\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Guest Blog: Internships, Inequalities, and Breaking Barriers Through Higher Education - The Diversity Movement","og_description":"Calls to end unpaid internships have become increasingly common. Inequities perpetuated by this business practice include exponential increases in student loan debt and growing technology and wealth gaps.","og_url":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/internships-inequalities-breaking-barriers-higher-education\/","og_site_name":"The Diversity Movement","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/thediversitymovement\/","article_published_time":"2022-05-06T19:50:45+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-12-11T20:45:26+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1024,"height":678,"url":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Screen-Shot-2022-05-06-at-3.39.20-PM-1024x678.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Walk West","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Walk West","Est. reading time":"8 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/internships-inequalities-breaking-barriers-higher-education\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/internships-inequalities-breaking-barriers-higher-education\/"},"author":{"name":"Walk West","@id":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/#\/schema\/person\/96226c18fc3fda99e138ea5726960e51"},"headline":"Guest Blog: Internships, Inequalities, and Breaking Barriers Through Higher Education","datePublished":"2022-05-06T19:50:45+00:00","dateModified":"2023-12-11T20:45:26+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/internships-inequalities-breaking-barriers-higher-education\/"},"wordCount":1658,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/internships-inequalities-breaking-barriers-higher-education\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Screen-Shot-2022-05-06-at-3.39.20-PM.png","keywords":["Personal Stories"],"articleSection":["Trends &amp; Industry Insights","x Blogs"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/internships-inequalities-breaking-barriers-higher-education\/","url":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/internships-inequalities-breaking-barriers-higher-education\/","name":"Guest Blog: Internships, Inequalities, and Breaking Barriers Through Higher Education - The Diversity Movement","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/internships-inequalities-breaking-barriers-higher-education\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/internships-inequalities-breaking-barriers-higher-education\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Screen-Shot-2022-05-06-at-3.39.20-PM.png","datePublished":"2022-05-06T19:50:45+00:00","dateModified":"2023-12-11T20:45:26+00:00","description":"Calls to end unpaid internships have become increasingly common. Inequities perpetuated by this business practice include exponential increases in student loan debt and growing technology and wealth gaps.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/internships-inequalities-breaking-barriers-higher-education\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/internships-inequalities-breaking-barriers-higher-education\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/internships-inequalities-breaking-barriers-higher-education\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Screen-Shot-2022-05-06-at-3.39.20-PM.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Screen-Shot-2022-05-06-at-3.39.20-PM.png","width":2120,"height":1404,"caption":"Young trainees walking in office hallway and discussing ideas"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/internships-inequalities-breaking-barriers-higher-education\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Podcasts","item":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/type\/podcasts\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Guest Blog: Internships, Inequalities, and Breaking Barriers Through Higher Education"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/","name":"The Diversity Movement","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/#organization","name":"The Diversity Movement","url":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Stack-Blue.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Stack-Blue.jpg","width":1500,"height":619,"caption":"The Diversity Movement"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/thediversitymovement\/","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/thediversitymovement\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/thediversitymovement\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/#\/schema\/person\/96226c18fc3fda99e138ea5726960e51","name":"Walk West","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/098990f08f15560a82addd4bf4c3ec68a20487d4d17beade5a7e24775b385f86?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/098990f08f15560a82addd4bf4c3ec68a20487d4d17beade5a7e24775b385f86?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Walk West"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6239","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6239"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6239\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8940,"href":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6239\/revisions\/8940"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6240"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6239"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6239"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6239"},{"taxonomy":"tdm_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tdm_type?post=6239"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}