SALT LAKE CITY — Just eight credits shy of graduating college, Ella Ballstaedt was counting on a summer internship to carry her through the finish line of her schooling and into her future career.
Ballstaedt, an art history major at BYU, applied for several internships at New York City museums including the Museum of Modern Art, confident she’d secure something given the number of backup plans she had in place.
Then the coronavirus pandemic upended all of her meticulous planning.
Ballstaedt is one of many students in Utah banking on completing an internship this summer only for the job offer to become remote or be rescinded.
“That was going to be my work, that was going to be prep for future jobs,” Ballstaedt said, explaining the onslaught of shock and frustration she felt upon hearing the places she applied to were canceling their summer internships. “It kind of felt like I was stalled at a time in my life where I couldn’t afford to be stalled really. It really forced me to get creative with what I was going to do and how I was going to continue to progress in that situation.”
Many college students view internships as stepping stones to full-time employment opportunities with their dream companies, important sources of income over the summer and even a requirement to graduate.
The pandemic upended many of these plans, prolonging some graduation dates and forcing students to get creative with their summer months, whether that be by scrambling to find a different job, signing up for online classes, or showcasing and expanding their skills in different formats.
Several months after hearing the internships she’d applied to weren’t happening, Ballstaedt ushered people inside a well-lit building for an art show. Pieces lined the brick walls and patrons bustled about the bright space Friday and Saturday night.
The show, organized by Ballstaedt, was originally scheduled for April, but the date was pushed back to mid-June on account of coronavirus social distancing measures.
In a way, Ballstaedt said, not being able to move forward with her original summer internship plans helped boost the quality of the art show.
The additional months gave her time to transform her original plans, collect sponsors, polish displays and invest far more time into it.
While Ballstaedt said she’s come to accept what happened to her summer internship she hopes to find something in the fall because she’ll need to complete one to graduate.
The effects of coronavirus on summer internships has been expansive. Even some massive corporations like Yelp have canceled their summer programs altogether.
Many students say these cancellations have detrimental effects on their future careers. Some, like Ballstaedt, acknowledged that not being able to complete their internships over the summer delays their graduation and hampers networking opportunities.
Ryan Kahng, a junior at BYU, thought his internship in Denver was safe, however, the company ended up canceling all of its internships nationwide mid-April.
Kahng recalled “scrambling” to find a different internship, ultimately finding one at a tech company in Utah. He credited this to the fact he’d started looking for backup plans weeks before his was canceled, but acknowledged even then, he felt fortunate.
“I know a lot of people couldn’t find anything and it ruined their summer plans and messed with recruitment for the next year,” he said. “A lot of people in business rely on the junior internship because that leads to full-time offers.”
Utah Valley University sophomore Calvin Ham’s internship was supposed to be out of state with a software implementation consultant company. He’d hoped to use the internship as a stepping stone to land a “larger, more prestigious internship” the summer between his junior and senior years.
“Because it got canceled that kind of put me in a place where I just didn’t know where to go from,” Ham said. “Everything that I had looked up for and planned since the beginning of the year was kind of destroyed.”
Ham said he’s been taking classes and working on self-improvement this summer as well as honing his coding and critical thinking stills. Still, one of the biggest impacts of the internship being canceled is the loss of income, Ham said.
Though he’s received some Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act money from UVU, he’s debating whether he should keep looking for a job, despite the fact that so few companies are hiring.
BYU sent out a statement on March 19 declaring that all students working on internships endorsed by the university outside of the U.S. must return home. Those completing domestic internships could continue to do so if the provider and student sees fit, however, for internships not yet started — summer ones — all were suspended, according to the statement, save for on campus and remote internships.
UVU is also not offering credit for international internships this summer. Domestically, credit is only available if duties are completed remotely, the internship addresses a critical COVID-19 related need, or it is needed for a seniors’ fall or summer graduation.
Sara Moore, internship coordinator for UVU’s College of Engineering and Technology, said students in majors like computer science and information systems and technology were able to continue their internships remotely as “it was easy for them to transition to working from home.” Others, like students majoring in culinary arts, engineering and construction management, largely lost their internships because employers shut down or duties couldn’t be completed remotely.
Students who needed the internship to graduate were still able to get credit due to UVU policy, however, some students were forced “to take other classes as a replacement or postpone their internship to another semester or year,” she explained.
“Since the COVID-19 shutdown, I’ve had many more appointments regarding help in finding a job or internship rather than requesting academic credit,” Moore said. “Those who have lost internships or jobs are frustrated, and rightly so. Some students have had to take unpaid, remote positions in order to continue their experience and resume building.”
Kambria Porter, a senior graphic design student at BYU, said her experience working remotely for a New York City design studio has gone well so far, and she’s grateful to even be able to complete the internship. However, aspects have been challenging.
“Graphic design is such a social job that requires a lot of communication and hands-on learning,” she said. “I feel like that absence has set me back a bit still, since I will be graduating with no real-life, in-person studio experience. I hope that my future jobs will understand that I will need to do some developing as I go.”
She’d hoped the internship would help her decide whether or not studio work is the best route for her in contrast to freelance, but because of the unique circumstances Porter said she doesn’t think she’ll be able to tell.
Liza Pugsley, a senior at BYU with just a few credits to go, feels similarly.
She’d gotten a human resources internship with a restaurant software company hoping to get more exposure to the field as she hadn’t specifically studied it in school. Now she still doesn’t know. Regardless, Pugsley remains optimistic about her future. She might even start a floral design business on the side this summer.
“I think things will get better. This is a short time,” Pugsley said. “Even already when I first was applying for jobs I couldn’t find anything at all, but already I’m finding a lot more opportunities and just through networking there are so many people who are sympathetic and willing to help out.”