Intern Spotlight: Serena Naji
Say "Yes" to Opportunities: Interning at HRI
We spoke with Serena Naji, an English major who served as the David F. Prindable intern for 2024–25. As Prindable intern, Serena helped with communications and outreach for the institute.
What made you interested in the David F. Prindable internship at HRI?
I first became interested in the Prindable Internship through a class that I took in the English department, English 255: Early American Literature and Culture. My professor, Jamie Jones, is a current HRI fellow, and she had talked about the Humanities Research Institute. I just really wanted to learn more, and I looked into the opportunities for undergraduates. The communications internship just really stood out to me as a place where I could grow.
For undergraduate students, what do you think are the benefits of being involved with and connected with HRI?
I think that the benefits of being connected with the HRI are the many different ways that you can find new perspectives. The events, like Inside Scoops, and other avenues in which students can connect with faculty and see interesting speakers, are very great to kind of develop a connection with the humanities, to really think critically about the research that happens on campus.
What has been your favorite project to work on?
I had the opportunity to interview multiple interns within various branches of the HRI, but my favorite one was when I interviewed the Odyssey intern Jalixa Sanchez. Her experience, and being able to hear about ways that the Odyssey program serves many different kinds of students, was very interesting. And seeing the passion that people who work with the Odyssey program have… it’s an amazing way to see how many people on campus get to access resources that they may not be accessed otherwise.
What advice would you give to future Prindable interns?
I got to ask this question of a lot of other interns with the Humanities Research Institute, and I've had the opportunity to think about my own answer. I would say the best advice is to just go for it, to always just try to say “yes” to the opportunities as they come, especially with this internship. Try to take on the projects that you are really passionate about and continue developing as a person. It's honestly not just about the professional experience, but it's also thinking about why you engage with the humanities, and I know that for me, a lot of that has to do with being able to think critically and being able to see different perspectives, especially with so many amazing faculty members on this campus doing cool research.
How might you apply what you've learned to something you do in the future?
I've had a lot of great professional writing experience through this internship, and so I will definitely be applying those skills and the different feedback that I've received in my writing in the future. Especially as someone who is an English major, I'm definitely going to continue writing for a long time after this, so it’s definitely helping with my classes and, I think, my future job prospects.