Alumna has meaningful experiences through internships

Lydia Huth (’19) stated that “every opportunity builds on another one.” Her career path, which started well before graduation, exemplifies the importance of creating professional connections, making the most of every job or internship, and diversifying one’s resume.

During her time at Campbell, Huth double majored in English and graphic design, and participated in the student newspaper, The Campbell Times. Although Huth’s majors did not require an internship, she thought having one would be a meaningful, beneficial experience. She interviewed with the Carolina Theatre in Durham for a communications position. Despite not being a communications major, the theatre decided to take her on as an intern because of her newspaper experience.

During her time at the theatre, she was given the task of cataloging all of the costume pieces ever used by the theatre. While most would see this as a menial task, Huth poured herself into it and gave it all her attention and effort. Her supervisors noticed her hard work, and decided to offer her a part time job at the theatre. While she was working there, they continued to praise the work ethic she displayed on that project.

“I felt like I was learning all the time,” Huth reflected on her time at the theatre. She said that even though she had no experience in communication, it made her internship even more interesting. She was able to gain hands-on experience while testing out a field.

Huth went on to participate in more internships at the North Carolina Department of Agriculture, Duke OBGYN, and AGAPE of NC foster care center. During the fall of her senior year, Huth reached out to the theatre about potentially working there upon graduation, and was offered a part-time remote marketing job during her spring semester. When she graduated, they offered her a full-time position. Her boss was kind enough to give her the opportunity to set her own start date so she could unwind after graduation.

When the COVID-19 pandemic began, the Carolina Theatre was not operating, and Huth needed to find a new job. Luckily, two of her colleagues at the theatre had connections at a non-profit called Kidznotes, which provides free music education to students in Triangle area Title I schools. Huth, who was ultimately hired as a consultant by Kidznotes, said this about the organization: “The students and the whole team are enthusiastic and talented, and dedicated to fostering social good through art. I can’t say enough good things about them.”

Huth has always been drawn to cities, and after visiting Boston many times, felt that it could be home. Recently, she was hired at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for career advising communication and graduate education support. Although she had no connections to the university, she had relevant work experience as a student worker in the Student Success Office at Campbell. Huth found the position “the old fashioned way,” on LinkedIn.

CamelLink was launched to create a platform for Campbell alumni to connect with current students to create meaningful relationships. Not only is CamelLink a great resource for internships, but it also allows alumni and students to connect on other levels. Huth connected with a student through CamelLink, bonding over being introverts. As an alumna, Huth is giving the student advice on being in a networking space. Huth said it is a “joyful thing when a student messages” her, and encourages students to reach out to alumni to find shared interests.

In her MIT interview, Huth expressed the importance of internships to the hiring committee. After securing the position, she requested interns of her own. Because she was in the interns’ position not long ago, Huth is learning how to interact with people in a professional but empathetic way. She said, “it is a gift to be able to be the person that others were for me.”

Do you have an internship to offer? Would you like to mentor Campbell students? Join CamelLink at mentor.campebell.edu!