James was a student ballroom instructor for the BYU Ballroom Dance Department during Fall 2023.
Briefly explain what you did and the result of your internship.
I was a student teacher in the ballroom program. I taught DANCE 180 and 280, intro to social dance and intermediate social dance. These social dance classes have a huge impact on BYU students. Taking a social dance class teaches them how to interact with people of the opposite gender in a healthy and fun way. I feel integral in that process as a teacher and it's really cool to see students develop these healthy behaviors and learn to have fun dancing together!
What did you learn on your internship that you were not expecting to learn?
That I love teaching! Being in the student teaching program helped me decide on what to do for my actual career, which will hopefully be becoming a professor of information systems!
How have your future plans changed because of what you learned from your internship experience?
A little bit, I knew I wanted a career in IS, but after the internship, it helped me decide to pursue a PhD in IS and find a career in academia.
Please share how your experience led to personal inspiration or insightful revelation.
Not much, just some personal inspiration for what to teach, or comments to make, or students to reach out to and help individually.
Would you recommend this internship to other students?
Yes! If they are able to teach in the social dance program they should. It teaches you to lead, and teach and be a good person, all of which are critical skills for being a successful person in life.
