Jessica Payne, a senior interior design major in Belmont’s O’More School of Design*, recently completed an intensive three-month internship program at Princess Cruises, an award-winning destination leader in worldwide cruise vacations.
Payne worked in the Interior Design & Operations Department for the shared services group supporting Princess Cruises, Holland America Line and Seabourn, all part of the world’s leading cruise brands of Carnival Corporation, and was responsible for selections, specifications and coordination of design packages for fleet wide initiatives. The internship utilized Payne’s design knowledge and cost savings, budgeting and organization techniques. Other responsibilities included supporting ongoing efforts to broaden the supplier base and innovating efficient ways to develop proposals and presentations.
“My time as an interior design intern with Princess Cruises has set the path for my future career,” she said. “Not only do I now have a strong core knowledge of hospitality design, but being in Los Angeles has given me the foundation to grow my network and meet a tremendous amount of renowned design professionals. My assignments have allowed me to apply my technical based knowledge to my creative ideas in order to achieve functional designs. Working in the cruise industry, one of the largest growing industries, and with industry leader Princess Cruises has been an invaluable learning opportunity.”
Princess Cruises Internship Program is a 10-week, paid, project-structured summer learning experience available to undergraduate and graduate students of four-year degree programs from a multitude of disciplines including marketing, public relations, hotel operations, food & beverage, engineering (marine/technical), finance entertainment and more. The program takes place at Princess Cruises world headquarters campus located in Santa Clarita, California and is known for its challenging projects with a full complement of enrichment activities designed to give the participating students a professional work experience.
“Students are given assignments that require collaborating and interacting with professionals at all levels of the organization from specialists and managers to executive vice presidents,” said Jeanne Amey, director, shoreside talent acquisition for the shared services group. “We hire interns to take on projects with a strategic focus and a requirement to determine specific measurable results. Our management teams incorporate the results of the best intern work to guide the future planning of our business.”
Payne was one of 49 interns selected from a competitive pool of over 1,000 applicants. This year’s intern class included representatives from 34 elite institutions. Internship opportunities are promoted between November and December each year for the following calendar year.
*Belmont’s O’More School of Design has received preliminary approval from the University’s regional accreditor (SACSCOC), and full approval is anticipated by the end of the year.*
