Internships. Oh, the dreaded word. Long days of unpaid, coffee-filling, paper filing, Xerox running escapades await those looking to further their careers.
But this doesn't always have to be the case, as one ASU student discovered. Jaime Kaitz, broadcast junior, realized internship stereotypes don't always have to apply.
Since the beginning of this semester, Kaitz has been waking up at the time when some of us are just hitting the sack. Only instead of sitting in a cubicle, Kaitz sits in front of a microphone at The Edge, 103.9 FM studio in Scottsdale.
As "Jaime the intern" for the Morning Ritual with Chuck and Vince, Kaitz proves to the rest of us that there is hope in finding a cool internship.
The cute, curly haired brunette sat down with SPM this week to dish about everything from boobies to Carmen Electra, making us slaving interns only wish we had her job!
SPM: Don't I know you?
Kaitz: You may not know me if you saw me, but you probably know my voice.
SPM: You're that girl who we hear laughing all the time on the radio, huh? Sound like you're having a blast - sure beats our internships.
Kaitz: It's probably the most fun internship ever. I love the guys I work with. They're some of the funniest people I ever met. All I do is laugh.
SPM: One thing we're not jealous of is your hours! What time do you have to wake up in the morning?
Kaitz: At 6 a.m., it sucks when the alarm clock goes off. Before this, I didn't wake up before 10 a.m., if I even woke up at 10. But when I get to work, I'm awake as ever. There's never a boring second.
SPM: So, do you get to grace the airwaves often? I hear you giggling in the background a lot.
Kaitz: Not really, but they talk about us all of the time. The first day I got there, they interviewed me on air - "meet the interns." That was cool because my whole family was listening. And, if they want a girl's opinion, they'll ask us. Like once, they talked about booty shorts and what we wear under them.
SPM: Those two are pervs, huh? Dirty old men. Does it bother you at all? I guess Monica Lewinsky ruined the word "intern" for us all.
Kaitz: Yeah, they're pervs, but we take it with a grain of salt. You can't be sensitive in there. You gotta roll with the punches.
SPM: So, what do your parents think about the raunchiness of the show?
Kaitz: My dad thinks it's hilarious, and my mom shares her office with this religious guy. She'll put it on, but if it gets bad, she'll change it.
SPM: What's some crazy stuff that's gone on in the studio? We're dying to know.
Kaitz: Well, I don't think there's any other internships where you get to see boobs at 7:30 in the morning.
SPM: Boobs? I bet every guy wishes they had your job now.
Kaitz: One time, I had my hair in pigtails and had a Pippy Longstocking shirt on. The guys had some strippers in for the show and they were like, "We want to give Pippy a lap dance." But, they didn't.
SPM: Bummer. Just kidding. So, are you actually ambitious enough to get dressed every morning? I mean I'm a strictly jeans-and-T-shirt kind of girl - especially at 6 a.m., if I even wake to see that time.
Kaitz: I used to go in looking cute. Now, it's pajamas and a ponytail. I'm like, "Hey boys."
SPM: Sounds like they love you anyway. Does anyone recognize you from the show? Are you a new local "celebrity."
Kaitz: No, but at the gym, I was working with this guy I usually don't work with, and I told him that I worked as an intern at The Edge, and he was like, "You're Intern Jaime?!" But none of my friends are ever awake to listen.
SPM: Well, if you're not a celeb yet, have you had any run-ins with the real deal?
Kaitz: Carmen Electra called in last week. Even though I wasn't really talking to her, it was still cool.
SPM: Well, guys, we know where you wish you were working. Boobies, Carmen Electra, airtime on a major radio station ... and did I already say boobies? Jaime, thanks for giving us all hope of finding decent internships in the world of unpaid labor. Well, what are you waiting for everyone? Get out there and do something with yourselves!
Reach the reporter at erika.wurst@asu.edu.
