Theatre Major Has an Illuminating Internship at Waterfire Providence

Our students are on fire with exciting internships this summer. Musical Theatre major and Arts and Entertainment Management minor Molly Donnelly ’24 is gaining hands-on experience with event management at WaterFire Providence.

WaterFire Providence is a nonprofit arts organization dedicated to presenting world-class art experiences, mostly notably lighting up downtown Providence’s three rivers with its award-winning fire sculpture installation. 

As the Events and Operations Intern, Molly splits her time between the office and the warehouse.

“Our WaterFire season is in full swing, so I spend my time preparing for events by coordinating with vendors, working with the production staff to make sure we meet the needs for each event and working on logistics for actual event days,” she explained. “On event days, I’m bopping around all over the place checking on event-day staff and volunteers, working on the sponsor and membership tents, checking with sponsors and making sure their receptions are running smoothly, checking in with our food and art vendors throughout the night – the list goes on and on!”

She credits the skills she’s learned at Dean with helping prepare her for a successful internship. In particular, the team building, professional communication and research skills she’s honed on campus have proved invaluable this summer.

Molly also is thrilled to have the opportunity to dig deeper into the world of event management.

“Taking this internship at WaterFire has opened my eyes to all the possibilities and outlets that are potential careers in the future,” she said. “I'm learning so much about multiple different areas of event management and figuring out where my skills lie and what aspects I like the most.”

WaterFire’s season is full of events, with the next full lighting scheduled for sunset on Saturday, July 30, 2022. Molly is also documenting her experience with her fellow WaterFire interns on Instagram for a behind-the-scenes look at their day-to-day work.

At Dean College, 100% of students complete an internship – and quite a few of them are participating in internships this summer. Learn more about internship opportunities, Musical Theatre and Arts and Entertainment Management at Dean.