Did you know you can earn internship credit as a Teaching Assistant in the English department?
In this new series, we’re exploring the English department’s internship opportunities by interviewing current students who have learned firsthand what it’s like to gain confidence in valuable liberal arts skills, cultivate meaningful relationships, and get career-ready through internship experiences.
Today, we’re spotlighting Joya Haskin (’24) who has worked as a teaching assistant for multiple instructors in the English department. Check out our Q&A with Joya below!
Q&A with Joya Haskin
What classes have you TA’d for?
What have you enjoyed most about your teaching assistantships?
What have you learned from the experience?
How has your time as a TA in the department influenced your future career goals?
My position as a TA has completely shaped the career goals that I would like to obtain. I have always aspired to pursue my Ph.D. to teach at a university, and my time as a TA has cemented that aspiration as a career goal. However, my experience has also made me realize more that while I do want to become a professor eventually, I would also like to work alongside future educators while earning my M.A. in English Education, so that I can work heavily with students as a teacher of secondary education.
Why would you recommend this type of internship to current and future students?
Being a TA as an undergrad has allowed me to learn more about learning and develop professional relationships that can be helpful beyond graduation. However, those are not the only reasons why I would recommend TA-ing as an internship experience. I would also say that it has been highly beneficial for me to build professional skills that can be utilized in all career paths. While being a TA might pertain a little more to me as an education major to gain teaching experience, it has also helped me build skills for communication, teamwork, feedback, leadership, public speaking, and facilitation that can be transferred to so many aspects of life.
I would also like to acknowledge that I have spent two years as a mentor for Key Communities which has further offered me the chance to be a TA in multiple capacities and facilitate my own recitation. It has also built upon my experience as a TA and is part of why I also believe that being a TA is a highly beneficial experience that I think more students should take advantage of before they graduate.
About Joya Haskin
Joya Haskin (she/her) is a senior English Education major. She was born and raised in Northern Colorado and would like to stay here as long as possible. Set to graduate in December 2024 from the College of Liberal Arts and University Honors Program, Joya hopes to return to CSU as a graduate student in January 2025. Outside of the English Education program, she has been a mentor for the Key Communities on the CSU campus, working with incoming freshman students, and considers it is one of the highlights of her time here.