'The Daily Show' internship confirms senior's career goals
Kelly Hammond, a corporate communication major, plans to work on the business side of television production.
Kelly Hammond networked relentlessly and carefully crafted her resume and cover letter to achieve one goal: secure an internship on Comedy Central’s iconic “The Daily Show With Trevor Noah.”
"It's a really competitive process," the Penn State Abington senior said.
Fast forward a few months and Hammond found herself commuting to “The Daily Show” set in New York City three days a week and attending classes at Abington the other two days.
“I loved it,” Hammond, a corporate communication major, said with her trademark enthusiasm. “It was incredible to have a role in seeing a 30-minute taping come together.”
Hammond's duties at “The Daily Show” included attending meetings with the camera crew and directors; working in the control room; interacting with audiences, which exposed her to people from around the globe; and administrative and operational tasks like accounting.
The real value of the internship was derived from reflection. By the end of the internship, the experience confirmed her career goal.
“I’m leaning toward working in public relations and communications for a network — the business side of television production,” said Hammond, who also interned on the network’s “The President Show.” “No one realizes there is a business side, and it’s always been an interest of mine.”
The big question, of course, is did she talk to Trevor Noah much?
She laughed.
“My only conversation with him was about cheese.”
Penn State Abington senior Kelly Hammond said it was thrilling to see her name in the credits of "The Daily Show With Trevor Noah."
Credit: Penn State
“Through all of my Corporate Communication classes and internships, I collected different pieces of knowledge and experience that totally prepared me to find a full-time job.”
— Kelly Hammond, senior corporate communication major
Hammond's internship adventures didn’t end at Comedy Central. This spring, she secured two more internships, one at Abington and another off campus.
She works as a peer career adviser in the Abington Center for Career & Professional Development, where she put her corporate communication skills to use designing and delivering content for the new student newsletter.
"Kelly is a key player in launching our first student newsletter. Her creativity and solid work ethic take us a step closer to making it a reality," said Tina Vance-Knight, director of the Center for Career & Professional Development.
Hammond also writes press releases and coordinates events as an intern for Variety -- the Children’s Charity of the Delaware Valley.
She is excited to graduate in a few weeks and put her skills into practice.
“I feel like at Abington I developed skills that others don’t have, especially through the internships. I learned how to thrive in a business environment and how to behave like a professional,” she said.
“Through all of my corporate communication classes and internships, I collected different pieces of knowledge and experience and now I'm totally prepared and confident to find a full-time job.”
