April 27, 2022

Tisch Center Internship Spotlight: Yoomi Kim, Roundabout Theatre Company

Yoomi Kim is a student in M.S. in Event Management at the Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality. In this post, she tells us more about her internship this spring semester.

Where are you interning and what is your job title?

I am interning at Roundabout Theatre Company, the country’s largest not-for-profit theatre company that celebrates the power of theatre by spotlighting classics from the past, cultivating new works of the present and educating minds for the future. We produce familiar and lesser-known plays and musicals with the ability to take artistic risk as only a not-for-profit can. I started as the Development and Special Events Apprentice and recently got promoted to an Interim Development Assistant.

What projects have you been working on so far?

Due to the nature of my role, I have worked on various projects for development as well as special events. On top of tracking gifts with the Tessitura database, fulfilling pledge forms, acknowledging gifts, researching donor profiles, and reconciling monthly invoices for the development team, I also helped coordinate and provide on the ground support at large special events such as galas, VIP nights, and opening nights for the special events team. I had the opportunity to work on our largest fundraiser of the year, our annual Gala, by supervising and training internal and external volunteers, managing and fulfilling the online auction, and tracking invitations.

Have there been any challenges in your internship so far? If so, how have you learned to overcome them?

The biggest challenge during my internship has been balancing working full time and going to school full time. Not only has this allowed me to work even more on my time management skills, but it has also allowed me to communicate more with my supervisors and professors; I have learned to not be afraid to ask for help when I need it. Everyone at work and school has been so understanding of this fact and have gone the extra mile to check in with me even more and offer additional support. On my end, I learned to be more transparent with my workload while also maintaining a level of professionalism and responsibility.

What do you hope to take away from your internship?

I got my Bachelor’s in Vocal Performance at NYU Steinhardt. Having grown up with theatre my whole life, this apprenticeship was able to combine my performance background with event management. It was a great starting point especially while I was still in school, and with a couple months left, I hope to solidify my future goals and career plans. I’ve had the opportunity to network with so many industry professionals, both in theatre administration and event management, at work and school, and want to find my career niche, mapping out my long-term goals.

What are your future plans?

With one more semester left, I hope to gain more experience in a commercial setting, within the entertainment industry at large. I would also love to join more professional associations as well, networking as much as possible, especially while I am still a student. By continuing to have conversations with my professors and co-workers, I hope to find my niche and value within the event industry.    


Related Articles