by: Amy Seligman
Whether graduation be this May or four Mays from now, several students at Fitchburg State wonder what might make them stand out from their peers. A Fitchburg State alumna, Leah Bianchi, would tell those students that networking with their professors and fellow peers may be the best method to succeed. “While in school, work with as many different people as you can. I was lucky to meet and get involved with a lot people who I met in classes that I got to know and respect.”
Leah graduated from Fitchburg State in December 2013 from the Communications Media Program with a Bachelors in Professional Communication. During Communications students’ last semester at FSU they are to go on internship. Bianchi would say she was lucky to have been able to have her internship at the Late Night Show with David Letterman, but her professors would fondly remember her deserving it.
Once Leah knew where she wanted to go for internship, she made sure that she spoke with all of her professors during their office hours to get advice and make connections with them. Getting one out of twelve open spots offered to students throughout the country, Bianchi made sure to get the most out of her experience. This includes being involved in a Facebook Group to this day with all twelve that she interned with. One of the women in the group even works for CMTV (Country Music Television)!
Of course, to get where she was, Leah had also networked before her internship was really in the picture. She had explained that she became fond of working with someone whom she only had previously been acquainted with through a writing class. They ended up teaching each other their skills that they excelled at. “He was excellent at graphic design, I knew nothing. I was good at writing, he was creative but he couldn’t get his ideas on paper. He was happy I would sit down with him and show him exactly what he needed and how he could write better,” she explained, “He taught me different [design] programs, and everything I do that I do now, he was the basis of it all.”
Although Leah got the internship and experience of a lifetime, the job she currently has isn’t exactly what she planned, but she doesn’t seem worried about it. “Ehh, I’m young,” she exclaims. Leah still keeps in regular contact with two or three professors, whether it be for recommendations or purely just to keep in touch. Knowing her potential, she seems to have the best outlook on her current situation. “I’m constantly meeting people who teach me things, whether it’s professional communications or not. Maybe those people will give me some advice or lead me somewhere in the future.”