By: Hailey Temple
Students at the School of Information Studies (iSchool) continue to show how their skills and experiences extend into a wide range of industries. For Anne Marie Suchanek ’13 G ’14, these skills brought her close to home as a digital strategies intern for Fox News in New York City. As she traveled the sidewalks and subways of NYC’s cityscape, Suchanek applied and gained new skills in information technology while bringing her career prospects into focus.
Suchanek was based at the web development center at Fox News, where she was focused on conducting user acceptance testing and quality assurance testing for Fox News’ websites and projects. Which working closely with the technical team, Suchanek still had the opportunity to stand at the intersection between communications and technology. With TVs fixed at each desk and on walls, she was immersed in breaking news, including the Zimmerman trial verdict and the birth of the royal baby. “I felt in-the-know, which was something I haven’t felt at other internships. Something exciting was always happening, and the staff was young, determined and enthusiastic about their work and provided a different set of knowledge for me to learn,” said Suchanek.
Although Suchanek spent her summer in NYC, she continued to expand her knowledge about information technology and apply her skills she developed as an iSchool undergraduate student. Now a graduate student in the iSchool’s Fast Track graduate program, Suchanek continued to study as a full-time student and write for Information Space, the iSchool’s blog. During her internship, she had the opportunity to apply her web design, graphic design, and project management skills acquired through classes and internships at iSchool programs. With the ability to marry the technical and managerial roles together at Fox News, Suchanek appreciates how her experiences at the iSchool exposed her to both disciplines.
“The iSchool prepared me well because they versed me well technically and managerially,” said Suchanek. “The more I expose myself to the workforce, the more I realize that that combination is invaluable. Developers and managers don't always speak the same language, so knowing where they each come from is incredibly helpful.”
As she works toward earning a Certificate of Advanced Study in Information Security Management from the iSchool, Suchanek looks toward the future and working with information technology. Once interested in focusing on information security, her internship with Fox News has opened the possibilities to work in project management, an attractive prospect for Suchanek. No matter where Suchanek decides after graduate school, she feels confident that the iSchool prepared her for the opportunities that lie ahead of her.