Campus Celebrity: Naomi Braude

Born and raised in Northampton, Massachusetts, this collegiette decided to reconnect with her Montreal roots and attend McGill University. Now, four years after making the big cross-border move, Naomi Braude looks back on her time at McGill as an exciting and positive adventure. A die-hard Boston sport’s fan and loyal NPR listener, this week’s Campus Celebrity dishes to Her Campus McGill about internships, graduation and finding what you are truly passionate about!

Major/Minor: History Major and Political Science Minor.

Why did you choose to go to McGill? There were a lot of reasons, but the main ones were its academic reputation, the lower tuition than American schools, its international student body, and that it was in Montreal. I have family in Montreal, so I had visited often growing up – and I always really liked it – so I thought choosing McGill would be a great chance to be able to live here.

As someone who has both Canadian and American citizenship, where do you see yourself living next? Most likely going back to the U.S. to look for jobs, ideally in Boston or New York. There are more opportunities for my field of interest in the U.S. and it’s more familiar to me. But I’m also going to look for jobs in Canada — I was thinking Toronto or Ottawa, and would definitely consider staying here for a few years.

Your friends would describe you as: Understanding, nice, smart, serious, and funny.

Your ideal Friday night would consist of: Going to a restaurant with friends, having a drink, and catching up. It’s about the company more than what I do. I think as long as you’re with people you like, you’ll have a good time.  

Your must watch TV show: Law and Order (all of them), but especially Law and Order: Criminal Intent and Law and Order: SVU. I am always gripped by the material, which deals with real issues, sometimes inspired by actual news stories.

Last summer you interned at WGBH in Boston — how was that experience? Is this something you want to pursue later on? I had a wonderful experience at WGBH – I was working as a Research and Production assistant for Boston Media Productions. I really enjoyed the work itself and the range of things I got to do, from researching restaurants, to going on field-shoots (to restaurants and various sites in Boston) and watching a live talk show as it was filmed. My boss and everyone I worked with were incredibly smart and amazing at their jobs and also very friendly and encouraging – which is the best combination. I learned a lot, and the internship showed me that television production, especially the writing and research parts, are definitely areas I’m interested in. My dream job would be to work as a writer or producer for Frontline, a PBS program that produces really interesting and high quality documentaries on a range of critical topics relating to politics, news, society, health, the environment, etc.

What kind of advice would you give to others starting to look for summer internships now? Try to explore an area that you’re interested in and have not had the opportunity to gain experience in yet. This does not necessarily need to be in the area of work you hope to pursue, but the internship should incorporate your natural interests and give you the chance to utilize your strengths. Be proactive – and start applying now for summer internships. Ask friends or anyone you know who has had an internship or job in something you’re interested in; they can provide you with good advice and can even put in a good word. Don’t be afraid to do this!

You are also an editor for the Historical Discourses, McGill’s undergraduate Journal of History — can you explain a little more what this is? How did you become involved? Historical Discourses is the annual undergraduate History Student Journal that publishes approximately 8-10 papers in each edition. The Journal offers undergraduates the chance to showcase and have published their work, especially original research (minimum 10 pages). I had known about the Journal through the HSA and had submitted papers of my own in the past. Given that I am passionate about both history and editing, I wanted to get involved in the production of the Journal this year and applied to be an editor.

What area do you see yourself working in? I see myself working in writing, research, and editing either for a non-profit, publication, or television. In addition, I really value and am interested in education (in its many senses) and would like to be involved in work that improves education or provides people with services and information that improves their lives.

What are your feelings about graduation? Excited? Nervous? Definitely a combination of excitement and nervousness, lately more nervousness than excitement… but I think in the coming months, it will become more “real” and I will get more excited. I don’t have any specific plans now but will be looking for jobs and internships.