By Stephanie Mork, Photojournalism Intern
Student Taya Banjac fell in so love with Open Arms during her photojournalism internship last summer that she decided to become a regular volunteer. She studied Journalism at the University of Minnesota and graduated this past spring.
During spring semester last year, she received an email from the university highlighting internships in the Twin Cities that would be a good fit for journalism majors. Luckily for Open Arms, the photojournalism internship was listed and the rest is history. “It was a no brainer,” Taya said.
Taya gained important skills and confidence during her internship at Open Arms as she interviewed and photographed volunteers and clients. “This internship really helped me get better at communicating with people and gave me more confidence in my writing skills,” said Taya.
After her internship at Open Arms, she went on to write for the Minnesota Daily at the University of Minnesota. “I learned how to focus my interview questions and [the internship] was good practice for interviewing people for my stories at the Daily,” said Taya.
One of Taya’s main takeaways from the internship was finding Open Arms and seeing the impact it has on the community. She said, “I decided to come back and volunteer the moment I left,” she said. “This place is amazing. I still volunteer here once a week and I love my delivery route!”
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