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Posted 03/13/2018
For immediate release: January 22, 2018
For more information, contact:
Julie Ellingson, NDSA executive vice president: (701) 223-2522 • jellingson@ndstockmen.org
Michael Feist, NDSA communication intern: (701) 226-9072 • intern@ndstockmen.org
Feist begins Stockmen’s Association internship
Michael Feist, a senior and mass communication major at the University of Mary, began working alongside the North Dakota Stockmen's Association’s (NDSA) office team on Jan. 19 as a communication intern.
“We’re excited to have Michael be a part of the team,” said NDSA Executive Vice President Julie Ellingson. “We’re also excited to have him learn about the Association and the processes that go on here.”
This is the first time that NDSA has offered a communication internship in 15 years. Ellingson stated that offering an internship after so many years is exciting.
“Interns help us open our eyes to new ideas,” said Ellingson, “and to share the mission of the Stockmen’s Association with the next generation.”
Feist’s internship is part of the University of Mary’s educational program, which requires seniors to intern 40 hours per week for 13 weeks. This internship must be completed prior to graduation.
The internship offers students a real-world experience at a full-time job, as well as the opportunity to practice the skills they have learned through their college education. This idea of working full-time is what made Feist nervous about the internship.
“I’ve only ever worked part-time jobs,” said Feist. “Most recently, I worked at Wishek Livestock Sales as a yardman.”
University of Mary seniors can choose where they want to intern, as long as they are employed at a job that pertains to their field of study.
“Initially, I told Professor Amy Hollar, my internship placement advisor, that I prefer loading angry bulls onto a semi-trailer at the salebarn over working a full-time internship at an office job,” said Feist. “But, I couldn’t do that. I’ve enjoyed working at NDSA so far, though.”
Since he is a mass communication major, Feist had to find a job that consisted of transmitting information to a large audience. Some examples of this include working for news broadcasts, writing for newspapers and magazines, and producing videos and photographs.
Although there are several jobs in Bismarck-Mandan that relate to his field of study, he had a hard time deciding where to intern.
“My professors understood that I had an interest in agriculture,” said Feist, “since I made farming and ranching the subject of many of my assignments. For example, I wrote an advocacy speech on more agricultural education in schools, as well as a story about how my family’s feedlot has evolved throughout the years – a feedlot that Scott Ressler helped create, by the way.”
Hollar, as well as Feist’s academic advisor, Professsor Nita Ritzke, believed that he should write stories for the North Dakota Stockman, where he could put his skills and knowledge of agriculture to practical use. The NDSA turned out to be a well-suited suggestion.
During his internship, Feist will be helping to write news releases and edit and manage the Stockman. This includes planning and editing content for the magazine, writing articles, taking photographs and designing pages.
“While interning at NDSA, I hope that I can perfect my skills,” said Feist. “I want to become better and faster at writing and learn more about the process of producing a magazine.”
Feist will be working as a communication intern for NDSA until he graduates on April 28.