Witnessing History

Jared Knoodle, who is interning with the grounds crew at the San Francisco Giants ballpark, hopes he can come home and tell his buddies how he watched Barry Bonds shatter Hank Aaron's home run record.

"I'm a baseball fan, so I like to see things like that happen," said Knoodle, a crop and soil sciences senior. "Records are made to be broken."

After he rants about that experience, conversation most likely would turn to the Major League Baseball All-Star Weekend, which was held at AT&T Park, home of the Giants.

"Being around the whole atmosphere of the All-Star game was cool," he said. "The best part about it was the All-Star game and the home run derby. I got to see all the celebrities of the baseball world."

As a reward for their hard work throughout the season, the grounds crew got to watch the star-studded slugfest from the field, Knoodle said.

During home games this season, Knoodle's responsibilities have ranged from mowing the lawn to raking the field between innings.

Interns like Knoodle create opportunities for other MSU students seeking competitive internships, said David Gilstrap, coordinator of the sports and turf management program.

"It just increases our visibility, and it also opens the doors for interns in the future," Gilstrap said. "Without exception, they always do a great job and make us proud as an institution and as a program."

After Knoodle graduates in May, he hopes to continue to work on a grounds crew at either an MLB or NFL facility.

"I just like being outside," Knoodle said. "I like using my hands. I don't like being cooped up in an office all day."

Monkey Business

Amanda Jones works with manyerent animals as an intern at the Detroit Zoo, but she said her favorite clients are the ones that act the most like humans.

"I love working with the chimps," said Jones, a zoology senior. "They all have their own unique personalities, they're so incredibly smart, and they know how to manipulate objects."

They may be smart and know how to manipulate objects, but when the zookeeper gives them lipstick, the chimps don't exactly apply it like a cover girl.

"They'll look at themselves in the mirror, and they love it," she said. "It's absolutely incredible."

Jones cleans the exhibits and holding areas, feeds animals and gives them toys for their entertainment.

She also works on projects every week, such as building rafts for polar bears and sea otters.

This internship is giving her the hands-on experience with animals she needs to become a zookeeper after she graduates, she said.

"I've always had a passion for animals and I know a lot of times in a zoo, animals need a lot of enrichment, so I wanted to be part of that," Jones said. "You can learn everything by your books, but it just helps so much to have hands-on experience."

Sometimes, the animals can get a little too close for comfort.

"It can be intimidating the first time you walk into the back of the tiger holding area because they're so close to you," Jones said. "Everyone has been to a zoo, but to be up close and personal behind the scenes - it's amazing."

Hollywood Hopeful

Ben Bigalke can't exactly talk about what he is working on for his internship, so his friends will have to wait until it comes to the big screen.

The creative agency he is interning with in Los Angeles produces theatrical trailers for Hollywood powerhouses such as DreamWorks, Disney and Columbia Pictures.

The company, called mOcean, is developing material for several blockbusters that will arrive late this year, but Bigalke cannot reveal their names, he said.

"They are definitely ones people are going to see that are cool," said Bigalke, a telecommunication, information studies and media junior, specializing in film studies.

Bigalke shadows editors, pitches copy ideas for trailers, attends voice-over sessions and does research - but not unless he takes the initiative.

"The biggest challenge is everybody here has so much to do that I can't be supervised," he said. "There is no set program, and the other intern and me are the first college interns to work here.

"I need to speak up if I want to get experience. It forces me to challenge myself. If I was just given busy work all day, I wouldn't be challenged."

It comes as no surprise that Bigalke frequents the local movie theater in his spare time. The second time he saw "Transformers," he couldn't contain himself when an advertisement produced by mOcean came on the screen.

He was in the room when the ad was going through edits, he said.

"I got a little bit too excited and the high schoolers looked at me weird," Bigalke said.

Bigalke hopes this internship will help him get him a job with mOcean next summer. He has already started searching for an apartment, and the prices are kind of scary.

"As long as I don't eat or have a car, I should be OK," he said.

From Tacos to the Big Apple

When Michael Webber is working at home, the most multitasking he does consists of taking orders while handing food out of Taco Bell's drive-through window.

This summer, his internship requires him to prioritize orders from four supervisors at the United States Military Staff Committee in New York City.

"It's kind of ironic," said Webber, a history junior. "I'd rather work here for free than work at my job at home, so it's kind of funny."

The military staff committee acts as the "eyes and ears for the defense department and the Pentagon," he said.

Webber works three blocks from the United Nations, but he resides in a dorm complex affiliated with the City College of New York, located in Harlem.

"It's not as bad as people say it is," Webber said. "But it's not exactly a nice place to live, either."

When he first moved in, the locals gave him some trouble.

"They would just like taunt me and sometimes they would say a few racial things … but nothing horrible," Webber said.

That did not keep him from falling in love with the city, he said.

He's gone to a New York Mets game, visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art and seen the Statue of Liberty.

"If you're just sitting at home in your apartment, then that's a shame because there's just so much you can do," Webber said.

His favorite part of his internship is working with such a diverse group of people.

"I like experiencing new things and meeting all the different people," Webber said. "Not only interns, but I meet ambassadors on a daily basis."

When he graduates, Webber said he wants to get a job with the state department for two reasons.

"Number one, it's more about passion than money," he said. "I'm more about liking what I do than earning a ton of money. Number two, I've always been interested in politics and how it works.

"I want to serve my country in a way that is beneficial, but don't necessarily want to join the military and go to war."