The University of Memphis Journalism Internship Fair

Most students absolutely dread attending any school function that is required, however the students who attended the panel discussion regarding journalism internships at the University of Memphis on September 14th were in for a treat. As Larry Rice approached the audience ranging from freshmen to seniors, all eyes were on him. With his Facebook account displayed on the screen, he began his introduction with the importance of social media. “Man don’t I look good in my profile picture,” Larry said as the audience fell over in laughter, not expecting a divorce attorney to be as funny as Larry is. Proceeding to make his point on the importance of internships, Mr. Rice then explained how critical it is for students to take on internships throughout their college career for a variety of reasons. Learning first hand the type of work you want to go into after graduating provides students the opportunity to see if that field is what they will not only succeed in, but enjoy doing. Continuing on, Larry proceeded to tell the students the advantages of having writing skills, people skills, as well as social skills by relating it to his past experiences. Hearing an attorney’s perspective on journalism major’s skills set opened a door some students didn’t realize would be open to them graduating from the journalism department. All while educating students, Larry not only made the best of his fifteen minutes time limit, he made an impact by immediately grabbing the attention of everyone in the room by making a simple joke, then bringing the importance of the discussion into a conversation everyone seemed to enjoy. As the lecture came to a close, to make a great discussion even better, Mr. Rice made it rain candy. Needless to say, attorneys don’t all have to be boring, just have a talk with Larry himself and it will all make sense.