Academics

Creativity, proactive approach drive communications student

Penn State junior David Arroyo appreciates the opportunity his internship at Center City Film & Video provides. Credit: Photo SubmittedAll Rights Reserved.

Editor’s Note: This is the fifth in a series of articles about summer internships for students in the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Some college students change the focus of their study during their time on campus, and some do it better than others — making it a planned, proactive process rather a reaction to changes or problems.

Count David Arroyo among the planners. He’s confirming his plans with a summer internship.

“When I first got to Penn State I wanted to be on the air, a broadcaster. I wanted to do play-by-play or radio,” said Arroyo, a junior from Jenkintown, Pennsylvania. “I still like doing that and I’m going to keep doing it. It’s just nice to explore other options. I’ve found I want to be more creative. I feel like being a producer will give me those opportunities.”

Arroyo earned an internship with Center City Film & Video that has enabled him to learn more about what he envisions as his eventual career. The Philadelphia-based company is a full-service video and interactive production company with nearly three decades of experience.

Arroyo’s primary duties include research — digging deeper into topics for Center City Film & Video as well as its sister company, Stage 3, as they complete projects and prepare to pitch others to potential broadcast partners.

Best of all for Arroyo, the company encourages engaged interns.

“They have told us several times to ask questions if we have them,” he said. “Plus, they’ve offered the chance to sit in on an editing session with an editor. We’re also part of meetings every Wednesday with the executive producer to pitch ideas to him.”

Arroyo’s innate curiosity and commitment to quality, which allow him to thrive in the classroom, transfer well to the internship setting. Those qualities also prompted the change in his academic focus.

He remains a journalism major with a broadcast focus, but he’s leaning toward what might be more of a behind-the-scenes or production-related position for his career.

“It’s been fun to spend time with producers on shoots, because they’re OK with me asking about why they’re doing certain things,” he said. “It’s not a lot of questions or asking every little thing, but they’re supportive with questions about how to do things in a high-quality manner.”

Arroyo, the son of Jenifer (a Penn State alumna) and Aurelio Arroyo, has two brothers. He’s living at home this summer for the internship that started in early May, the week after spring semester classes ended. He takes the subway to and from Philadelphia, working three days a week, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Friday. He will be with the company until a week before fall semester classes begin.

When Arroyo gets back to campus, he’ll serve as an editor for CommRadio, the internet-based radio station housed in the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications, and as a reporter for the award-winning “Centre County Report” newscast. That show, produced as part of a 400-level course, airs weekly on Campus Cable and on WPSU-TV in Pennsylvania and New York.

He’s excited about those roles, already planning for the fall and how to succeed. His commitment to quality and his preferred proactive approach serve him well in those positions as well.

“David has great ideas and he’s creative. Plus, he’s determined and selfless,” said CommRadio general manager Jeff Brown. 

Along with his role as a CommRadio editor, Arroyo and another student proposed the creation of an arts department for the station to enhance coverage of concerts and events on and around campus.

“He just thinks it’s really important and they are willing to take on some extra work to make it happen,” Brown said. “He’s always willing to help. At the end of the spring semester, we had a last-minute opportunity to cover the men’s volleyball team, which had advanced to the NCAA Championships, and he jumped in to make it happen. You can always count on him to do those kinds of things.”

Last Updated June 2, 2021