For the past weeks, the entire world has had to regroup because of the coronavirus pandemic. From schools, restaurants, malls and even movie theaters, COVID-19 has forced thousands of businesses to shut down or has forced them to function differently.
While there were some students who were getting prepared for summer activities such as taking classes on campus or working a normal summer job, there were also students who were in preparation for summertime internships — a requirement for a lot of majors in order to graduate.
A lot of Rattlers originally anticipated being quarantined for possibly a few weeks has become prolonged as many states have issued extended stay-at-home orders.
Internships that students were anticipating in places such as New York, Los Angeles, Detroit and Miami, have been snatched away.
“I was more upset with the internship no longer being in New York City and not being able to physically work with students. I worked so hard and spent so much money to get this internship. I even flew to New York City for an interview in January,” said Taylor Brown, a junior elementary education student at Florida A&M who was accepted for an internship with the Uncommon Charter Schools Student Teaching Fellow program in Brooklyn.
Brown took to her Instagram to express her desolation when she found out that she worked so hard for something that was taken away so unexpectedly.
Although internships such as the one Brown has transitioned to remote instead of physically attending the internships, students would much rather take the hands-on approach in order to grow professionally within their majors.
“I was disappointed but I understand the reasoning,” said Christian Miley, a second-year business student whose internship with PwC Start in Los Angeles was also moved to an online internship.
“I received my first internship ever in Michigan for cardiology research and I was super excited,” said Ayrianna Jackson, a second year biology pre-med student. Jackson noted that the internship would have been expense free. “I just feel like I was really let down due to unforeseen circumstances.”
With all of the abrupt changes and curveballs that have been thrown at students over the course of a month, one thing can definitely be concluded about the determination and work ethic of the students of FAMU, based on numerous interviews: they will persevere.