Grant Recipient: Class of 2011
Major: College of Social Studies
Organization: Yale University Press
Location: New Haven, CT
The Yale University Press is an organization teeming with excitement. Its staff members, from the editors to the assistants, are always busy innovating and challenging existing beliefs in almost every field. I have been lucky enough to join them in their mission of disseminating lux and veritas. Even as a summer intern, I have been given responsibilities that make me feel like an important member of their team. Within the first two weeks I was already working with expensive reproductions of artwork and contacting distinguished authors. I have gotten a glimpse of the entire publishing process, from choosing scholars to review manuscripts before the Press decided to publish them to sending out copies of the finished book to the author, and every step in between. I have attended meetings where I saw spirited debates over whether the Press should pursue a book and thoughtful discussions about marketing strategies. I have even been asked to return to the Press in the fall as a part-time employee, working a few half days around my weekly academic schedule at Wesleyan.
I went in to my internship hoping that I would discover whether or not I was interested in publishing as a career in the future. More importantly, I honed skills - teamwork, responsibility, enthusiasm - that will undoubtedly benefit me in whatever field I eventually choose.