Editor's note: This is part two in our Intern Appreciation Week series.
Michelle Sybert is a senior majoring in English, Studio Art (Graphic Design), and Germanic Studies, with minors in Marketing and Art History. Michelle loves to read, listen to music, design, cook (sometimes), and play games including Yahtzee and Halo. I took some time to learn more about Michelle, her interest in publishing, and her amazing trip to Europe this past summer!
What is your position with IU Press?
I'm interning with the Marketing department, and I am primarily designing posters, fliers, and advertisements promoting some of the many books published by IU Press. I'm also spending some time with the Production staff, doing searches for cover art, basic touchups of images, and learning how to create eBooks (I'm really excited about this!).
What other organizations are you involved with on campus?
I'm in the Graphic Design club at IU and am the founder and Editor-in-Chief of the newly created Crimson Umbrella Review on campus, as well as a member for the Scholarship Advisory Committee, through which I blog for the Office of Scholarships. I also work a few hours a week as a caregiver for a young man with autism.
Why did you decide to intern with IU Press?
I am really interested in working in publishing in the future, so the opportunities offered at the Press were really too good to pass up! I have a very widespread set of interests, so I am hoping to hone in on the departments I might enjoy working in. I am also very interested in the possibilities of digital publishing and was excited by the Press's efforts to embrace digital media through eBooks, social media, and the blog.
What are your future career goals?
I am hoping to work in book publishing in the future, probably in an editorial facet, though I'm still in the process of deciding which of the departments. I am currently applying to graduate schools for an MA in Publishing or an MBA, but am also considering going directly into a career.
Did you have any exciting opportunities this past summer?
This summer my fiancé and I went on a month long backpacking trip through Europe, starting in Spain and circling down through Italy to Croatia (where we got engaged), then up through Hungary to Germany, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, and France before heading back to Spain. We rode lots of trains and met a ton of amazing people, since we were staying in hostels or couchsurfing.