Gianna Fendrich (center) with her managers, Anthony Zurita (left) and Nicole Dolce (right).
Landing a Dow Jones summer internship was a dream come true for Gianna Fendrich ’25. She shares some highlights from her summer in New York City and some important takeaways.
By Gianna Fendrich ’25
For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to work in the communications and media industry. As a kid, I was often called “chatterbox” or “loudmouth,” but I was also told, “You have a way with words,” and “You are a natural-born writer.”
When it came time to decide on a major, communication studies was the first thing that came to mind.
In my time at URI, in the Harrington School of Communication and Media, I have felt immense support and guidance from my professors and advisors. Through rigorous coursework and an abundance of extracurriculars, Harrington has set me up for success since day one. During my first two years, I explored my interests through various internships, implementing social media strategies in industries ranging from financial nonprofits to summer camps, and even right here at URI as an intern on the communications and marketing team.
As I approached my third year, I wanted to take the leap and apply for an internship at Dow Jones, a leading global provider of news and business information. I had previously applied to the highly competitive Dow Jones internship program but was not selected. I did not let that discourage me, and I applied again, this time with a stronger résumé and portfolio, and with greater confidence. I reached out to as many people as I could find on the Dow Jones corporate communications team to express my interest in the internship. After two rounds of interviews, I landed the role!
After months of anticipation, June came along, and it was time for the 10-week internship program to begin. Immediately, I felt a sense of community, belonging, and excitement. There were 100-plus interns from around the world, working across many business units, with many, like me, reporting to the company’s global headquarters in midtown Manhattan. As a New Jersey native, working in New York City has been a lifelong dream. As I walked up to the 45-story News Corp. Building, buzzing with NYC commuters, I realized I was no longer dreaming.
During my internship, I contributed to both internal and external communications projects. I distributed global internal newsletters to 5,000-plus employees, drafted press releases, built targeted media lists, built reporter profiles for Wall Street Journal reporters, tracked media coverage during breaking news cycles, and more.
The biggest highlight of the internship was creating and launching the company’s first intern-led social media series, InternView. The series spotlighted Dow Jones professionals talking about their career journeys and sharing insights on their roles. Each video ended with the same question: “What advice do you have for young professionals?” As a young professional myself, I gained a wealth of knowledge from the advice given in the interviews, including, “Say ‘Yes’ to everything,” and “Be curious and solve problems.”
Being at the forefront of news and media at a time when trusted and reliable journalism is more important than ever was such a meaningful experience. I learned so much from my amazing managers, Anthony Zurita and Nicole Dolce; my mentor, Annie Jacobson; and the communications and early careers teams. If you had told me a year ago that I would be fulfilling my dream of working in New York City at one of the longest-standing media organizations in the world, I would not have believed you.
I learned how to be adaptable, take risks, and advocate for myself, and I learned the importance of becoming comfortable with being uncomfortable. I made connections with people across many different business units and made new friends from all over the world. I am so grateful for this internship experience, and I cannot wait to carry the skills I learned with me through the rest of my career.
PHOTO: COURTESY GIANNA FENDRICH