Animation major spent warm summer with hockey in her sights

Do summer internships still happen in the middle of a global pandemic? Many were canceled, but some went forward—at a distance.

Janet Wychock ’21 scored an internship with the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team. Among her assignments: creating in-game assets, TV broadcast elements and venue-specific projects. “I’ve had a LOT of fun making these,” Wychock said.

How did you get the internship?

Like any other internship, I had to apply for it, but I was pleasantly surprised I had heard back from the Penguins, considering how high-profile they are. They were very interested in a lot of the 3D motion graphics I had done, so I guess that’s what helped me stand out among other applicants. I was really nervous about getting started with the internship since I had no idea what to expect, but I feel like I'm a pretty self-sufficient and self-driven person, so that made me pretty well prepared for the job.

What has been the biggest surprise so far?

I think one of the biggest surprises for me personally was how prepared they were to make the internship remote, especially considering how many other internships had gotten canceled in light of the pandemic.

COVID caused the internship to pretty much be entirely remote, so I didn't really have the benefit of seeing any other interns from other departments in person, since any interactions we have are through video conferences. Not to mention I didn't have the benefit of seeing my work screened at the arena in person, but it could always be worse.

What have you learned that will be valuable when you return to school or go out into your career?

All in all, I think this experience has better prepared me to work remotely, and in turn, eliminate any distractions that I might run into as a result of working from home. This has also given me a better opportunity to learn how to communicate as well as work with people in other departments, which I guess is very common when you work in the sports industry.