The CEDISH team had the pleasure of working with two student interns during the 2025 and 2026 academic years in support of The Sounds of San Antonio. Marisela Cruz and Jamie Thomas blogged about their experiences and reflections on the project, sharing what they learned, the work they contributed, and the impact the internship had on their academic and professional development.
Last semester, I was scared that I wouldn’t be able to graduate. Not due to grades, I have never failed (or really even come close to failing) a class in my entire life, not due to a lack of financial resources since I have been saving for college since I started working my first job (going four years strong as a barista), but because I could not get an internship. I am not the first college student to complain about the current job market and the insane competition among myself and my peers. Often, I look at pictures of myself, circa 2008 and think about how instead of watching cartoons I should have been planning my next big life-long committed community service project that would impress anyone who had the fortune of having my resume slide across their desk. As an English major with a concentration in Professional Writing, it is a requirement that I complete an at-least semester long internship of at least 150 hours a week. This left me with two choices - find an internship, any internship or change my concentration and graduate two semesters later than I had originally planned. Because of this, I searched for an internship tirelessly, no pay, something I wasn’t interested in, hours on indeed, days on handshake, interview after interview that went nowhere. At the end of my rope, I spoke to a professor that I really admire, and she advised me to look into internships directly through UTSA.
This led me to email my current supervisor, Diane. At the time, I had no experience sending cold e-mails, but I am so glad that I had faith in myself and put myself out there. Not only will I be graduating on time (with honors) but I have gained an absurd amount of experience from my time working with Diane on the Sounds of San Anto project that will no doubt not only help me with any future career endeavors but with my life in general.
I have not only gained skills related to qualitative data collection, using the Microsoft suite, learned a little about coding, learned time management (school, internship, work, sleep, repeat), but I have also learned an insane amount about the city that I currently live in and love. History that is rarely talked about but is incredibly important and interesting. I have gotten to learn about the San Antonio music scene during several different time periods that I would have little to no knowledge of otherwise. I have gotten to hear stories about bands that I love as well as stories of community in the city that I have grown to love. I have also been given the opportunity to see my name on an official website as well as had the opportunity to write about my experience professionally as well as to write creatively for a professional purpose - which if you are not aware is not something that is common, especially for someone who is still pursuing their education.
To have not only the opportunity to see the project come together but to have been able to contribute and influence the project is something that I am so incredibly grateful for. The Sounds of San Anto project is something that I could talk about endlessly - as my friends and coworkers will attest to - and I am so incredibly excited to see this project grow and to be able to encourage its growth as time continues. While I will carry the skills that I have learned from this project with me throughout the rest of my professional career, I will carry the stories that I have heard from the interviews with me throughout the rest of my life. To hear the stories of the rich community that has always existed within the heart of San Antonio and how that community persists throughout hardship as well as flourishes through the good times is something that could inspire anyone and it encourages me to look around and see the efforts of those who surround me to help each other every day. To be able to hear stories that happened before I was born and see myself in the actions, words, and experiences of others makes me feel incredibly connected to San Antonio. This project has helped me feel more connected to my home and for that I am nothing but indebted. I hope that everyone who interacts with the project feels the same way that I do.