Next up in the “Get to know our interns'' series is an interview with Cathy Ching, a Communications Intern at ACDC. During her internship, Cathy worked on creating content for ACDC’s blog and social media channels. 

This fall, Cathy will be going into her second year at Northeastern University where she studies journalism.

How did you learn about ACDC and why did you want to intern there?

I’m a part of the Huntington News, which is Northeastern’s independent student newspaper. Every week the editors pitch ideas for the writers to pick up. One of the pitches was about the anti-racism town hall ACDC co-sponsored. I was interested in it, but I didn’t end up picking it up because it was during midterm week when I had a lot of homework. The next day, in my journalism class, my professor assigned us a podcast to make and we had to choose an issue that’s newsworthy. I remembered the pitch from yesterday about ACDC’s anti-racism town hall meeting, so I wanted to do that for my podcast. I reached out to ACDC and Christine, my current supervisor, replied. We did the interview for my podcast and I told her that I’d never done a podcast or video editing before. 

After I was done, I sent it to her to check it out. I guess she really liked it. She told me if I was interested in a communications internship for the summer, I should reach out to her and that’s how I got the internship. I wanted to intern there because I’m a journalism major with a communications minor, so it’s in my field of study. I also really admire what ACDC does and their mission. My mom also works with Asian immigrants in Brooklyn’s Chinatown, so I’ve grown up with the same mindset and values that ACDC has. I feel really comfortable at ACDC.

What is a skill that you’ve gained or developed through this internship?

Interestingly enough, through my communications internship I have learned a lot about communication. This is the first job I’ve done remotely, so it was all new to me to communicate through a computer screen and go to meetings in my bedroom. I had to rely on talking to Christine and the other interns through Slack and email. I also had to learn to keep Christine updated on what I was working on, ask for help if I needed it, and ask to work on new projects if I wanted them.

What was a project you enjoyed working on and why?

A project that I enjoyed working on was writing up the blog post for Gianna Stewart who’s a Boston-based public artist. I liked that project a lot because I love art. I grew up drawing and painting and I’ve always wanted to be a professional artist so it’s really cool to see someone living my dream. I’m an artist in my free time, so I liked learning about how her piece came together. 

It was also really fun researching about the history of Chinatown in Boston. Gianna is so well spoken, and everything she talked about in her interview about her piece was so interesting, like why she wanted to make the swing set installation bright yellow. I think getting to know people and what they do is just something I genuinely enjoy doing.

What challenges did you face in your internship?

A while ago, I emailed the interns to be featured, but I didn’t hear back yet because I think they were busy with their projects or too shy to be featured. I guess a challenge that I have faced is accepting rejection because in the journalism field you’re going to have to accept being rejected a lot. Not everyone wants to be interviewed and you have to be fine with that. You can’t take anything personally.

What has been your favorite part of the internship?

I think my favorite part of the internship has to be being behind the scenes of ACDC’s Instagram and Facebook. It’s interesting to see the organizations that reach out to them. It’s also fun creating graphics, coming up with Instagram captions, and learning about audience engagement.

What do you hope to achieve through the work you do?

For myself, I would like to become a better storyteller and a better writer through it all. I’ve been given the opportunity to write profiles about people, which is one of my favorite things to write.

What do you like to do in your free time?

I live in Brooklyn. In my free time, I like to go to Coney Island, which is a very unpopular opinion for people who live in Brooklyn. It’s not known to be the cleanest or safest beach. I’m also just a train ride away from Manhattan, so I go there after work and on the weekends. Some of my favorite spots are Central Park and Washington Square Park. If I’m not working on this internship remotely in my bedroom, I’m with my friends in Coney or in the city.

Thanks for sharing, Cathy!