By Kaavya Lakshmanan
If you ask Shaheed Jiwa for one of his most memorable experiences at UBC, he’ll tell you that it’s participating in the Arts Internship Program.
“Learning outside of the classroom is so important to me,” said Jiwa.
The Arts Internship Program, which offers unpaid internships for 8-12 hours a week in the non-profit sector, is one way that students can begin to create connections between their academic studies and future careers. The program also enables students to expand on their skills, experience, and contact base in a professional context that encourages civic engagement.
Jiwa, a second-year BFA student, applied to the program in his first year and interned at The Beaumont Studios, an organization that offers spaces for artists to practice their art and connect with other artists. Jiwa catalogued artists and gained experience in communications, event planning, and website management.
“A lot of the artists in the studios make their own jewelry and they draw and paint so creatively. It was a beautiful environment to be in,” said Jiwa.
Jiwa gained a plethora of skills from his placement. From helping his supervisor organize events and borrow equipment from partner organizations, Jiwa learned the importance of creating and fostering relationships in the arts. He also gained leadership experience from contacting artists and finding them spaces to work at the studios. Jiwa believes these skills will help him with his future career goals.
“I think I have exceptional communication and research skills now. I’ve become very good at knowing what it is I need, creating a vision board, and having clear ideas of what needs to be done.”
Jiwa advises students who are interested in joining the Arts Internship Program to have an idea of the types of skills they would like to gain.
“The foundation of the internship is learning – whether that’s learning how to network or how to work in a specific field. So keeping an open mind and going in with the intention of wanting to learn is important.”
