By Cole Gee | Reporter

With the difficulties of trying to find internships and enter the workforce, Joe Kickasola, film and digital media department professor and director of the Baylor in New York program, wanted to give students a once-in-a-lifetime chance to kickstart their careers.

According to the Baylor in New York website, the program has been running for a little over a decade now, with Kickasola serving as the head. By joining the program, students spend one semester in New York alongside other students and professors.

Kickasola said one success story from Baylor in New York is Jason Seagraves, a former attendee of the program who used the connections and experience he earned on the trip to secure his professional career as a producer in Los Angeles.

Kickasola said another program success story is Baylor graduate Amy Collins. She originally wanted to work in children’s television and secured an internship working for Nickelodeon, but her desired career path changed.

Together, she and Kickasola were able to secure her a spot in the Master’s of Social Work program at Columbia University, one of the top social work programs in the nation. She now fights child sex trafficking as she works for multiple organizations across the world, Kickasola said.

“You know, it wasn’t the path that she set out on. But I was very wowed by the results because she’s doing really important, good work, and God used that experience,” Kickasola said. “Finding out what she didn’t want to do to guide her into what she did want to do, and that, to me, is a win and a large part of what the program is all about.”

What students want to do and what they actually enjoy may not always coincide, leaving Kickasola and the other staff members to help guide them in the right direction for their internships.

Baylor graduate Carter Findlay loved his experience in New York his senior year, working post-production on a documentary focusing on ’80s wave music. Findlay is now looking to move to the city to pursue his career in media, which he attributes to his work in New York.

“Not only did it give me very practical experience in the FDM stuff, but I got to see how it all works in real life,” Findlay said. “It also gave me connections that are super valuable that I wouldn’t have gotten if I had stayed in Waco.”

Kickasola said for students interested in the program, sign-up information and prices can be found on the Baylor in New York website. If students don’t manage to make it on their first try, Kickasola said to remain persistent and ambitious.

“I try to get away from this idea that the job is the proof of the end result. And people who aren’t able to do the program or don’t get in the first time, I can encourage them to keep trying,” Kickasola said. “They will build more experience and more character, the resumes will presumably get better, their academic record will get better as they apply for the next time.”