If you liked a OneWay social media post, listened to a Scripture Song or opened a OneWay email this summer, there’s a good chance it was created by one of our summer interns.
Over the course of the last two months, five college students had the opportunity to stretch themselves creatively, professionally and spiritually during a life-changing summer internship that wraps up this week.
“Being on the communications team, I loved working on all things design, whether it was a logo or a social media post,” said Serena Hackett, a graphic designer from Nebraska. “One of my favorite projects was developing graphics and the website for (the One80 podcast). It was exciting to know my work would be used for a podcast aimed at my generation.”
They had a highly productive summer, assisting the OneWay team by writing songs, making Prayercast videos, creating content for social media, writing and designing newsletters, and creating a new podcast from scratch!
Three of the interns lived in the Blue House along with a 12-month resident and the internship program coordinators.
Two interns commuted to the Blue House every week to join the rest of the group in times of discipleship and community.
“The most impactful part (of the internship) for me was getting to be around some really great Christian friends and making friendships with them,” said Taylor University student Andrew Neal, who worked on audio and video production.
In their bi-weekly discipleship times, the interns heard from OneWay board members, family, and staff about the Great Commission, Scripture, and prayer.
“One of the biggest things I’ll take away from this internship is how essential it is to be in the Word of God,” said Ellie Tiemens, a writer who will be a senior at Taylor this fall. “We had so many wise people during discipleship times share with us how taking ownership of your Bible reading can change your whole faith life.”
“OneWay provided us, the interns, with discipleship lessons and prayer meetings,” said Shannon Burns, a video editor who attends Cedarville University. “Bible-studying and prayer time are normal things for a Christian to have, but these sessions came out as enlightening and precious to me. What I learned during those group times taught me more about myself and about how I should be living my life.”
Over the summer, the intern team also hosted and attended community events. From Chicago trips to worship nights, a housewarming party, swimming, game nights, camping and s’mores, the interns made sure to include some fun alongside the work they did!
Natalie Davis, a 12-month resident, said one of her favorite memories was the 4th of July party with OneWay staff and family. Many of the other interns remember a camping trip to Wisconsin at the beginning of summer as their most memorable experience.
Each summer intern would highly recommend participating in this program.
“If you want to make an impact and love community, this is definitely the place for you!” Natalie said.
“I would be happy if other people got to experience the fun and amazing time that I had when I went to OneWay,” Shannon said. “Though, I might get a little jealous if others were able to go to OneWay while I couldn't.”
“OneWay is a great place to intern because it’s a place that is going to pour into you. They’re going to want to get to know you and come alongside you and help you out,” Andrew said. “It’s great because it also gives you real work experience that you don’t really get at other internships. For the most part, they trust you with real work that can be heard and seen by potentially millions of people, so I think that is a really great bonus.”
“This summer internship has been such a rich experience for me as I’ve gotten to know so many great people and work on projects that are impacting the Kingdom,” Ellie said. “I would encourage anyone with interest in learning more about vocational ministry to do this internship!”
Want to intern with OneWay? Visit owm.org/intern to learn more, or visit us on social media and see what else the interns have been up to this summer!
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