Rutgers senior reflects on importance of first professional internship

By Kylie Bezpa

Rutgers University senior Evelande Dufrene views her first professional internship in television producing as what she needed to help narrow in on her ideal career path and gain the skills necessary to pursue it.

 As an aspiring television producer, she currently labels herself as “obsessed with television.”  This hobby and passion of hers led to Dufrene landing her first internship her junior year at Jarrett Creative as a research intern.

 Jarrett Creative is a television producing company located in New York City.  It specializes in creating reality shows, some of which are aired on well-known channels like National Geographic, TNT, TLC, etc.

 Although Jarrett is known for creating reality television, it was the small, creative elements of the job that made Dufrene realize she did not work in their specialty.  She said that one of the best parts about her internship was making up story ideas.  Sometimes the interns were tasked with creative brainstorming for show or episode ideas, which she took a real liking to.

 It was from these brainstorms that she decided she would much rather be working on a scripted drama.  In order to begin pursuing this, and to hone the skills necessary, Dufrene said she wants to look into joining the screenwriting club here at Rutgers for her senior year.

 With the second major of Criminology and the minor of Sociology, Dufrene finds herself drawn particularly towards crime drama shows, specifically superhero ones.  Her current favorite shows to follow right now include Supernatural, Arrow, Flash, and Game of Thrones.  Dufrene says, “Another one of my favorite things we got to do as interns was go on set.”

 Although the sets at Jarrett Creative were not comparable to those in Game of Thrones, she said they gave her the feeling of being in another world, which fueled Dufrene’s imagination and career aspirations.

 As a research intern, Dufrene’s duties also included reading and reviewing idea submissions, departmental correspondence, and running other professional errands.  Before graduating, Dufrene is hoping to receive an internship at a bigger company, “like NBC or Viacom,” with more responsibilities and more experience to gain.

 Collaborating with other interns and employees at Jarrett really helped Dufrene adjust to a professional work setting.  She says that, prior to her internship, she used to have a “crippling shyness.”

 “I don’t think I could have actually handled a real interview [my freshman and sophomore years at Rutgers],” she says.  However, she says that going through the process of obtaining an internship, and getting to interact in a professional environment she felt she could thrive in helped her break through her shell of shyness and effectively communicate with coworkers.

 Working in the hub of New York City made Dufrene want to move to Atlanta eventually, which she calls a “top television spot.”  Additionally, she believes this career path could take her all over the world.  As someone fluent in Creole and French, she hopes to find herself in cities outside of the United States as well, like London or Paris.

“Before my internship at Jarrett, I would never have thought I would have the confidence, independence, and skill set to actually live and work abroad.  But now?  I’m really hoping for it,” says Dufrene.

Photo: Rutgers students walking on College Avenue beneath a rainbow.