Levine Children's Hospital - Intern Showcase
Seacrest Studios is filled with endless possibilities. Through the eyes of a child it is a place to escape. A home away from home. A world full of endless color, games, entertainment and hope. It is filled to the brim with people who care.
But what does the studio mean to an intern? It is a place to grow, learn and prepare you for the professional world. College students are given first-hand experience with state-of-the-art equipment. They develop skills in photography, videography and writing while hosting their own radio shows and spearheading out-of-the-box games with patients in mind. Most importantly? Interns are presented with the unique opportunity to create lifelong relationships. Read below to hear just how impactful these are.
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Carly Thomas
Elon University '19
Carly Thomas is a Broadcast Journalism major at Elon University. She has a passion for entertainment news and aspires to have a career in the industry. She has worked with children since she was a young teen, and when she found an internship that combined her desired career path with children, it seemed like a dream. Carly's hobbies include: singing and graphic design, two things she was also able to incorporate into her summer internship at Seacrest Studios.
"Being able to go up and meet patients and get them excited for what Seacrest Studios is all about and then later seeing them come down and smile. Some kids were nervous about coming down to the studio but seeing how happy they were once they were down there made this internship one I will never forget!"
Cory Peeler
University of South Carolina '20
Cory is currently a junior Broadcast Journalism major and Theater Minor at the University of South Carolina. His passion is television and film and he hope to become a producer one day. Cory decided to major in Broadcast Journalism because he loves telling other people’s stories in a beautiful way. An additional passion includes acting, and the art of stepping into someone else’s shoes to tell their truth to the world.
"The Seacrest Studio 5th Birthday Party!!! I absolutely loved having the community come together and celebrate Seacrest Studios. Seeing the patients come down and smile made it all worth it."
Darbi Horne
University of South Carolina '19
Darbi is a native of Greenville, South Carolina and will be a senior Broadcast Journalism student this year. Garnet and black runs through her veins and she could not be prouder to be a Gamecock. When her Seacrest Studios supervisor, Meredith Dean, offered her the opportunity to work with the Ryan Seacrest Foundation she snatched it up in a heart beat. As a Broadcast Journalism student, media effects her life every day for the better. As a student she feels incredibly fortunate for the opportunity to combine her passion for media with her love for kids into one internship. She quotes, "This was a chance of a lifetime that I will never forget."
"My favorite memory was really connecting with a little girl that eventually became stuck to my hip. I looked forward to seeing her every single shift, and my days weren't complete without her! She eventually worked up the courage to cohost a show with me and it was the most rewarding and fun experience I had all summer."
Destiny Gettis
University of South Carolina '19
Destiny is from Hilton Head Island, SC. She found her love for Broadcast when she created her own segment at church called “A Youthful Prospective” at the age of 14. She went to a church where many of the children lived in poverty and through her show she would gather events in the community, accomplishments of the youth in church, etc. Through this weekly newscast she was able to uplift children, and discovered an innate passion for sharing stories and making a difference.
"My favorite memory at Seacrest Studios was when Maryssa came into the studio for about an hour and gave such uplifting life lessons on staying positive (she had me in tears the entire time). She was such an inspiring person and always made me feel that the small challenges I face in life there are always others with bigger problems and I can overcome anything. She taught me about new foods that I’ve never heard of.
Emma Freas
Queens University of Charlotte '20
Emma is a currently a junior at Queens University of Charlotte double-majoring in Music and English. Several years ago, she started her own business teaching piano to kids in the Charlotte community and instantly found so much joy in it. This summer, Emma was blessed with the opportunity to intern at Seacrest Studios, a position that combined her love for music, kids, and communication!
"One of my favorite memories at Seacrest Studios was when I visited a patient in his room and started talking to him about the studio and myself. I saw his face instantly light up with smiles and giggles. That is what we're all about at Seacrest Studios - bringing happiness and positivity to kids' lives!"
Emma's Seacrest Showcase from emma freas on Vimeo.
Jordan West
Western Carolina University, Winter '18
Jordan West is a driven young woman who strives to live life with the purpose of inspiring and uplifting others. As a December 2018 graduate from Western Carolina University, she is seeking a full time position in Broadcasting and Public Relations where she aspires to utilize her education and personal experiences. Jordan enjoys interacting with new people and creating lifelong connections. She is thrilled to embark on new adventures and discover what the future holds.
"My favorite experience was having the pleasure to meet DJ Coco / Colleena. She came into the studio for the first time one Friday afternoon and wanted to sing a song to the patients that were staying on her floor. She had the whole floor turn to channel 99 to watch and hear her sing. Colleen stayed in the studio for over an hour just singing songs back to back and had an audience standing outside of the studio clapping, hollering, and cheering her on. I was over whelmed with happy tears for Colleena, and impressed by her amazing voice. She will forever leave a huge impact in my life."
Kathleen Cook
University of North Carolina at Charlotte '19
Kathleen Cook is currently a senior at UNC Charlotte. She has a few passions in her life, but the main two are sports and journalism. With two older brothers and a dad who all love sports, growing up, she had no choice but to attend countless sporting events. Her love was instant. Sophomore year in high school Kathleen joined the school newspaper and fell in love with journalism. She quickly climbed to editor-in-chief her junior and senior years. When she came to college, Kathleen knew she wanted to continue to pursue journalism, and immediately became involved with the campus newspaper. She quickly found a niche and became sports editor of the campus paper sophomore and junior year. Now, in her final year of college, she is the video editor for the campus newspaper as well as a digital media intern for ESPN offices in Charlotte.
"My favorite summer memory has to be DJ M. She came down to our studio one day with her cousin and we jammed out to Moana and then DJ M told me about how she makes bracelets and that she would make me one. A few weeks had gone by and I hadn't seen my friend in a while. On my last day in the studio, Meredith told me someone had dropped something off for me -- DJ M made me (and Meredith) keychains!!! It was honestly the best moment in the internship because, while I knew that DJ M would always be a part of me, it showed me that I had made some sort of impact on my friend."
Kendel Davy
University of North Carolina '19
Kendel is a senior Public Relations Major at the University of South Carolina. She is a cheerleader for the university and has been voted most spirited three years in a row. She has a passion for helping children and their families as they go through the experience of being in a hospital. Kendel hopes to combine her high spirited energy and passion for kids to work at a children's hospital in the future.
"My favorite memory at Seacrest Studios was meeting Xavier. He made every shift so much fun! We would always call down to the studio, he pied me in the face for PT and he painted my face. He made my heart melt so many times but especially watching the accomplishments as his health progressed. When he left the hospital, the amount of people that grew to love him was amazing."
Final Project from Kendel Davy on Vimeo.
Randi Moultrie
Winthrop University '19
Coming to Seacrest Studios from Charleston, SC, Randi is a senior Mass Communication major and Business Administration minor at Winthrop University. After an amazing internship opportunity with the Ryan Seacrest Foundation she has found a new love for radio. In the next year Randi plans to move to Houston, TX where she aspires to build a career in the broadcasting field and pursue her master’s in business. Randi's aspiration is to one day return the Ryan Seacrest Foundation as a Program Coordinator for one of their many studios across the country.
"My favorite summer memory would have to be meeting DJ Coco, her story and pure happiness always seemed to put a smile on everyone’s face. I got the chance to allow her to do my make-up, because I knew it was something she loved and felt she could not embrace being in the hospital, so I wanted to give her the chance to smile."
Scotty Gavlin
University of South Carolina '19
Scotty aka "DJ Scotty G" was born in Pittsburgh and raised in Lexington, SC. He once told his mom that he wanted to be a broadcaster and she said, "you can't do that Scotty, you mumble." His reply? "Mom I am 8." (*Note from Scotty: This is a true story, but seriously she is the greatest person in the world.) His mumble did not bring him down as he pursued a broadcast class in high school. Scotty's love of broadcast comes from his passion for communicating with others and building impactful relationships. Whatever he does in his life, he wants that to be a part of it; News, sports, ministry, whatever it may be just getting to be with people and hearing stories would be a dream come true.
"We did this thing called iHeart Art on Thursdays and one week a boy named Bren came down. He was super little and kinda shy at first. Then we asked if he wanted a song and he said "Rollie Rollie." (Not the correct name of the song, but so cute.) I then started dancing and when I did he looked up at me and raised his arms for me to pick him up. For the next 30 minutes, we just danced. Danced a little too much because we were asked to calm down. Still though seeing him happy and all the attention on him made the whole day great."
Scotty Gavlin Seacrest Showcase
Hannah Slater
University of South Carolina '18
For a long time I knew that whatever I did career-wise I wanted to positively impact people, however I wasn't exactly sure how I was going to accomplish that. In high school I began exploring the field of journalism, and it quickly occurred to me that this could be just the avenue I was searching for. Journalism has the opportunity to do such great good in the lives of others, and though that isn't necessarily always what occurs, I hope to ethically and effectively produce quality journalism to improve the lives of my audience.
"The first time Colleena ever came into the studio was a Friday, which was the day I worked. We knew nothing about her outside of the fact that she was a patient when she came in. Colleena's mother explained to us that Colleena's passion was music, so we asked her if she wanted to sing for us. Little did we know the magic that was about to occur. When Colleena began singing, I don't believe there was a dry eye in that room. Her beautiful voice reflected her beautiful soul, and it was amazing to see such a vibrant light of hope when something so tragic had happened to her family and herself. There are so many moments like this one that occur in Seacrest Studios, and it's amazing to see the level of strength that such young individuals can have."