Internships

Internships serve as a valuable stepping stone for students, providing you both with experience in a field of interest, and personal connections within that field. JPCatholic students’ internships have sometimes even resulted in a full-time job offer!

You may be eligible to participate in a 90-hour, 3 credit internship starting in your Junior year, and a total of three internships can be completed by graduation. Seniors may also apply to participate in our Los Angeles Quarter to get closer to internships in Hollywood.

Whether you are a media, business, or humanities student, we strongly recommend you complete at least one internship and take advantage of the resources from faculty and the Career Services office.

Dates to Remember

Steps to Register for an Internship

1. Verify your eligibility:

• Must be a junior (90 units) or higher
• Have space in your degree plan for an internship (elective space)
• An internship may be taken for credit up to 3 times
• Available space in your class schedule for the upcoming quarter
• Internship opportunity will provide 90+ hours of work within a quarter
• Internship opportunity furthers your academic & career goals based on your degree

2. Identify and invite a full-time faculty member to oversee your internship

3. Complete the Internship Letter of Intent (LOI) form when submitting registration requests

4. Begin Internship Placement Process with Professional Connections Department

• The next step is to schedule a 30-minute Internship Planning meeting. This meeting brings together the research conducted since the last meeting to create a battle plan to execute on within the desired timeline.
• Lastly, Professional Connections will regularly schedule 15-minute Internship Follow-up meetings to assess your progress and provide additional support.

5. Secure employment company and meet for interview with direct boss or hiring manager

• Obtain the employer’s signature on the Memorandum of Understanding

6. Meet with instructor to discuss:

• Outcomes
• Assignments
• Final Reflection Paper
• Obtain Approval with Signature

7. Submit completed Internship Application to Registrar and Professional Connections Office for approval.

Where have students interned?

Featured Internship Connections

Drive Studio

Drive Studio is a motion graphics design agency located in San Diego county, with clients including FIFA (World Cup), National Geographic, and Fox Sports. Over the past decade, JPCatholic has continually sent students to intern for Drive, with many becoming full-time employees.

AMGI Studios

Colin Brady, a visiting professor of JPCatholic, co-founded AMGI Studios after a career in animation and VFX that included Toy Story, A Bug’s Life, The Hunger Games, and Hugo. AMGI is an animation studio in Los Angeles that specializes in using motion capture for animation, and their projects include the music video for “My Universe” by Coldplay and BTS. JPCatholic has sent two students to AGMI for internships, both of which turned into full-time employment.

Yellow Line Digital

Yellow Line Digital is a social media marketing agency based in San Diego and helmed by Prof. Joe Szalkiewicz, who integrates students into the company through a hands-on course called “Digital Agency Workshop”. Since its founding in 2012 by JPCatholic faculty and alumni, roughly two-thirds of all employees have been JPCatholic students or alumni. JPCatholic has a partnership with Yellow Line Digital to provide students as interns, and to give students/alumni first chance at applying for open positions. Yellow Line has run social media campaigns for over 100 companies and organizations, including five Archdioceses and the Vatican.

Spirit Juice Studios

Starting in Summer 2022, JPCatholic is partnering with Spirit Juice Studios to send students to their Summer Internship Program. Spirit Juice is an award-winning, Chicago-based creative production firm specializing in the transformative power of high quality visual media merged with the ever ancient, ever new beauty of Catholicism.

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How do students get internships?

Students identify internships through a variety of avenues. Some opportunities come through faculty connections, others through the Professional Connections office, and sometimes students find them on their own initiative. Just as with any employment opportunity, it is the student’s responsibility to apply to the internships and make themselves an attractive candidate.

The Professional Connections office is a great resource for students throughout this entire process, and the primary method for support is one-on-one career counseling meetings.

1. Email Ava Ludwig to set up an appointment (aludwig@jpcatholic.edu)
2. Your meetings will take place in-person or over Zoom, and Ava will work with you to discuss your desired internship/s and advise you throughout the application process. Faculty may also be involved throughout this process if they serve a role in the connection.
3. To officially register for an internship for credit, students must submit all necessary paperwork with the Registrar’s office by the listed deadlines. Learn More

Los Angeles Quarter

JPCatholic’s strategic location in Southern California is an important component of the education, particularly for students pursuing a career in entertainment media.

Upperclassmen can have the opportunity to experience the Los Angeles entertainment industry firsthand in our immersive L.A. Quarter. These 8 weeks open up a host of new opportunities for internships, networking, and experiencing life in the entertainment capital of the world.

Our students have interned at world-class production companies and organizations across the industry, gaining valuable skills, acquiring insights on their field, and obtaining full-time job offers after graduation.