Utah State student decides on internship location

By Sadie Hughes

Today Conor Flynn decided to make Guanajuato, Mexico his home this summer as he interns for La Colmena Radio Universidad de Guanajuato.

La Colmena Radio is a radio station for the University of Guanajuato.

As a student in the global communications department at Utah State University, Flynn is required to complete a practicum or internship to qualify for graduation.

Flynn’s experience with radio broadcasting influenced his decision to do the internship at a radio station in Mexico.

“I am the music director at Aggie Radio, so naturally I felt that working in radio to some capacity would complement my major,” Flynn said. “Radio is one of the biggest forms of mass communication.”

Flynn, who is minoring in Spanish, contacted various radio stations in Mexico and received responses from stations in Mexico City, Guanajuato, Guadalajara and Veracruz.

“It was really hard for me to decide because there are so many great things about all of these places,” Flynn said. “I wish I could visit them all and certainly hope to do so in the future.”

The level of safety, professionalism and organization of the radio stations as well as the cultural depth of the cities were factors Flynn took into account in his decision.

“Interning allows for students to come away from their program with more than just theoretical perspectives on global phenomena,” said Jason Gilmore, a USU professor of communication studies. “It ensures that they can add real world experience related to the field they want to go into to their resume.”

Gilmore said he is confident Flynn will be successful as an intern abroad because of his language skills and spirit of adventure.

“I learned Spanish while on my LDS mission in Arkansas, so I looked to go somewhere I could use those language skills,” Flynn said.

Flynn, a member of a local band called Kitfox, said he hopes to dedicate his life to music. “In the future if I need to secure my finances, a career in radio would be a dream,” Flynn said.

“This internship will make him a promising candidate with any radio station in the states that deals with both international and local minority populations,” Gilmore said.

No exact dates have been decided on, but Flynn plans to leave at the beginning of July and return at the beginning of August.

“I hope to learn and grow personally, as well as help the community I am a part of,” Flynn said.