My Impactful Internship Experience at a Local Arts Nonprofit
I’m a music and media and communication double major. This public relations internship has shown me what my ideal career may look like.By: Marie Tohill ’25 Tuesday, April 29, 2025 04:15 PM
The author outside the ArtsQuest building in BethlehemWhen I committed to Muhlenberg four years ago, I didn’t know much about the surrounding area. Tour guides boast that Allentown is the third largest city in Pennsylvania, but, being from Long Island, New York, that’s about as much as I knew about my future home.
Now, I have explored the Lehigh Valley — including Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton — for four years. I have discovered that the Valley is a very artsy area, perfect for any lover of music, comedy, and theatre like me. Now, I am interning at one of the Valley’s most expansive arts organizations, ArtsQuest.
“I have discovered that the [Lehigh] Valley is a very artsy area, perfect for any lover of music, comedy, and theatre like me. Now, I am interning at one of the Valley’s most expansive arts organizations, ArtsQuest.”
I have enjoyed many cultural events and festivals at ArtsQuest, a nonprofit in southside Bethlehem dedicated to providing access to the arts for all, including Christkindlmarkt (a gigantic Christmas market), the Souper Bowl (a soup contest highlighting local restaurants), and movie nights at the Frank Banko Alehouse Cinemas.
After eagerly waiting for ArtsQuest’s spring internships to open up, I saw the public relations department announce that they were seeking an intern. I knew this opportunity would be the perfect way to spend my last semester at Muhlenberg and transition into my career in media and communication.
“For every question [during my internship interview], I had an answer that drew upon a Muhlenberg experience. I showed that my skills in writing, marketing, and communication are not just theoretical; they have been put into practice over four years of campus involvement at Muhlenberg.”
In my interview, I talked about my experience as a DJ and club secretary at WMUH, Muhlenberg’s radio station, and as a student writer for Muhlenberg’s Office of Communications and Marketing (OCM). For every question, I had an answer that drew upon a Muhlenberg experience. I showed that my skills in writing, marketing, and communication are not just theoretical; they have been put into practice over four years of campus involvement at Muhlenberg. This stood out to the team at ArtsQuest and resulted in my internship offer.
Interns at ArtsQuest are just as much a part of the action as the full-time staff. Right now, we are gearing up for Musikfest, the nation’s largest free music festival, which will take over the ArtsQuest campus — and the rest of Bethlehem — from July 31 to August 10. I’ve written press releases to announce upcoming events, including headlining artists coming to perform at Musikfest. Additionally, I am working on an article for the ArtsQuest magazine, Inside ArtsQuest, about our relationship with a local supporter of our capital campaign.
As a music and media and communication double major, this internship has been the perfect synthesis of my passions. The skills I’ve built at WMUH and as a student writer for OCM have allowed me to excel in my internship at ArtsQuest.
I am honored to be a small part of ArtsQuest’s mission, and I am loving every second of my internship experience. As I prepare for my next chapter pursuing a master’s degree in global media and communications at the London School of Economics and the University of Southern California, this experience has shown me what my ideal career may look like.
