Business and Communication
Rebekka Andersen
University Writing Program (UWP)
Rebekka Andersen has a Ph.D. in Professional Writing and is an Associate Professor in the University Writing Program at the University of California, Davis. There, she teaches courses in professional and technical communication and serves as the Associate Director for Professional Writing.
For several years, she coordinated the internship program for the undergraduate minor in professional writing. In fall 2018, she had the privilege of traveling with a group of UC Davis students to Sydney, Australia, where the students completed internships with local businesses and several courses, including one on Australian life and culture. While in Sydney, Dr. Andersen conducted a study on professional writing internships abroad, examining student learning and program efficacy.
In Summer 2021, she was the instructor for EAP 192: Virtual Internships Worldwide and UWP 198: Writing for Internships. She enjoyed working with so many bright and motivated student interns and is looking forward to doing the same this summer.
Completing an internship abroad is a life-changing experience. I am so excited for students to have this opportunity! Not only do students grow professionally, learning about business and communication practices in an international context and gaining marketable skills, they also grow personally, gaining a better sense of their own values and goals and developing enduring friendships with program peers and interns from around the world.
As the instructor of multiple Business and Communication summer abroad internship programs, I have learned so much from students. While interning, students complete weekly reflections on their project-based work and experiences and, for their final project, they write a report in which they reflect on their overall experience and offer advice to prospective internship-abroad students.
Here are some of the takeaways that students have shared when reflecting back on their overall experience:
“Through this program I was able to meet people I never would have otherwise. I was able to connect, communicate, and truly appreciate people who are completely opposite from me.”
“Having the opportunity to not only study abroad but also get an internship to learn and fully immerse ourselves in the culture was a dream come true. As I’m sitting on the rooftop on our last night here reflecting on our experience as a whole, I am deeply content and just overall satisfied and happy. I never knew how much this would change my perspective of my future career and even life decisions.”