Natalia Tafolla

Major: Sound for the Performing Arts

Technical Design Intern at TAIT Towers

How did you learn about this internship opportunity?

Through LinkedIn

What is a piece of advice you would give someone in your major looking for an internship?

Apply! Apply! Apply! You don't have to meet every qualification to apply. Job descriptions describe an ideal candidate, not the only candidate they will consider. Applying to a wide range of opportunities gives you more chances to get an interview and find an internship that's a good fit for you. Don't count yourself out before you've even applied!

What key responsibilities or projects have you taken on during your internship?

I worked with the AVL team on a variety of technical design projects and documentation. A lot of my work involved creating and updating single lines, equipment plans, signal flows, speaker element lists, and CAD drawings. I also helped with QA/QC, where I would go through drawings and catch small details or inconsistencies. I also got to practice using EASE and learn more about Q-SYS while helping out with different projects across the team.

How has your internship helped build your skills and clarify your career goals? How did being a Liberal Arts student at Purdue apply to your internship?

My internship helped me build my attention to detail and my ability to communicate across different disciplines. Being a Liberal Arts student at Purdue helped me develop these skills through working on theatre productions, where I learned how to collaborate with people from different backgrounds and switch between artistic and technical environments. This was especially useful during my internship, where I was able to approach technical design from both a creative and technical perspective. It also helped clarify that I want to pursue a career in technical design within the entertainment industry.

In what ways has the College of Liberal Arts at Purdue University supported your internship journey? How has your participation in our Job-Ready program specifically aided your professional development?

Being a CLA student has helped me develop strong communication and collaboration skills that I was able to bring into my internship. My classes and theatre experience gave me a foundation in the technical and creative areas I was working in, and my internship gave me the opportunity to apply those skills to large-scale projects and see how they are used in a professional setting. The Job-Ready program specifically helped make my internship possible by providing financial support that allowed me to take an opportunity that otherwise would have been more difficult to pursue. It also gave me the chance to gain hands-on experience in the field I want to work in and better understand what a career in technical design looks like outside of the classroom.

Could you highlight a standout aspect of your experience in the Job-Ready program that you find particularly noteworthy?

The standout part of the Job-Ready program for me was that it made it possible for me to take this amazing internship opportunity, which otherwise would have been difficult to pursue. The financial support allowed me to discover a new industry and gain hands-on experience in it. I’m really grateful that the program helped make this opportunity possible.