Mason Students Become Kennedy Center Interns

By Broadside Style Editor Sherell Williams
Photos by Margot Schulman

George Mason University alum Megan Bonard and seniors Patrick Gevas and Tarey Mellan were chosen as three of 24 interns for The Kennedy Center’s prestigious winter internship program. The full-time program, which lasts from Jan. 15, 2008 through May 9, 2008, places each intern in a field that deals with issues relating to the arts through a variety of mediums.

Bonard, a classically trained violinist, is the Advertising and Communications Intern in the Kennedy Center Institute for Arts Management. The 23-year-old graduated from Mason in December of 2007 and received her Bachelor of Arts in English with a concentration on film and media studies.

Gevas is the National Symphony Orchestra Press Intern. The 22-year-old will receive his B.A. in integrative studies from New Century College this May.

Mellan is an intern in the Kennedy Center’s Education Department and will graduate with a Bachelor of Individualized Study in Arts Integrated Education in May. This internship with the Kennedy Center is the first for the 54-year-old.

“This is a dream job,” Mellan said. “I was paying to take all these workshops and courses last semester and now I get to be a part of it. I love it.”

She came across the internship while doing research for her major and interviewed the woman who is now her boss.
Gevas had a similar experience in discovering the internship program.

While on a class tour of the Kennedy Center, he found out about the program from Mason alum.

“From then on, I had it stuck in my head that I had to get here at some point,” Gevas said.

Unlike Gevas and Mellan, Bonard discovered the internship while searching for internships online. She credits a professional writing class that she took with writer and editor Lynn Burke here at Mason as part of the reason she landed the internship. Though her background is in music, an injury she sustained in high school prevented her from pursuing a degree in music. She chose English instead because she “likes reading, watching movies and writing.”

Of her responsibilities, which include a lot of computer work and e-mail correspondence to different organizations about programs, Bonard says the work has been “pretty straightforward.”

Mellan, who was previously a teacher and taught dance, drama and visual arts to children, says she enjoys the variety in her work the most.

“Every day is a little different,” Mellan said.
Gevas’ responsibilities vary on a project-by-project basis, as well. In addition to seeing his first symphony, he has had the opportunity to hold a Grammy award won by one of the music directors at the Kennedy Center.

“[This experience] has really broadened my horizons and shown me a lot of cultural avenues that I might not have had the chance or the opportunity to see,” Gevas said.
For him, being at the Kennedy Center is about the total package.

“I definitely feel a lot more cultured being in this environment,” Gevas said.

All three believe that their time spent at Mason has greatly impacted their experiences within the program so far, crediting their respective programs with many of their skills.

“The music program at Mason is fantastic,” said Bonard. “The faculty is amazing and so is the English program.”

Mellan feels the same way about the BIS program.

“Everyone there was so encouraging for me,” Mellan said. “I feel like the BIS program encourages and supports people to find the thing that they’re passionate about.”

Like Mellan, Gevas credits his time at Mason with helping him in all of his success.

“I felt much more prepared for an internship on this sort of scale. Mason has really prepared me for a lot,” Gevas said. “It’s been a real life-changing experience.”

As for the future, Gevas says he’s ready for the next step. “I think being here kind of showed me that there’s a lot out there,” Gevas said. “I’m open to whatever comes my way.”

“I’m entering the next chapter of my life,” Mellan said of her plans. “I’m not exactly sure what kind of job I’m looking for, but maybe something that would combine the whole arts and integration process.”

Bonard plans include returning to Mason to pursue a graduate degree in Arts Administration.

“Hopefully I’ll pursue a career in this sort of thing after this internship ends [and do] something similar to what I do now,” Bonard said. “I hope students take advantage of the opportunities that the D.C. area has to offer.”