Name of intern: Alex Rusnák
CEU department and program: Department of Political Science, 2 Year MA program
Year of graduation: 2020
Name of internship host organization: Infosecurity.sk
Role: Research fellow (remote internship)
QUESTIONS:
What did you do during your internship? Can you describe a typical day at work?
At Infosecurity.sk, I was a lead research fellow in charge of a project focused on qualitative text/discourse analysis of Slovak disinformation websites. First, I worked actively on the creation of a methodological framework for this qualitative research project. Second, as an intern, I was a member of the team, in charge of data collection. Thirdly, I was working on data analysis and the coding of individual articles / Facebook posts. Besides working on the given project, I helped with the research for our weekly newsletter on disinformation and wrote several explanatory articles on various topics ranging from the EU legal framework for regulating social media or summaries of academic articles on the effects of disinformation on political trust and electoral consequences.
How did the internship help you implement your previous experience and your knowledge gained at CEU?
The knowledge and skills that I have gained during my CEU studies were crucial in my internship at Infosecurity.sk. I made use of all the rigorous methodological training and education from my courses and applied this to create a methodology for our newly established research project. Moreover, I felt confident to lead a small team of my team members, supervise our day-to-day and weekly tasks as well as conduct independent research.
What is your advice to current students who are thinking of doing an internship?
Don’t be afraid and make the most of it! Do your research and apply for an organization that you care about and that aligns with your area of interest or future career goals. You will make new friends as well as professional contacts that might prove useful in the future. Doing a remote internship is also a great way how to stay sane during the pandemic and feel that you are doing something useful and contributing to your community.