Saint Michael’s student experience spotlight: Aliou Cisse ’27

At Saint Michael’s College, many students take part in career-building opportunities beyond the classroom. We are highlighting these students’ experiences and asking them to share, in their own words, how they impacted their paths at Saint Michael’s.

Aliou Cisse ’27 did an internship in France during summer 2024. (Photo courtesy of Aliou Cisse)

Aliou Cisse ’27 of Ithaca, New York, is a Digital Media and Communications (DMC) major in the Pre-Law program who is also completing a minor in French. Cisse worked as a journalism intern at WorldCrunch in Paris, France, during the summer of 2024 through the French Internship Program offered by the College’s Institute for Global Engagement. WorldCrunch is a Paris-based, independent digital media platform. 

Cisse was interviewed during the summer while still in France for his internship. His comments have been lightly edited for grammar.

What does your typical day look like as an intern?

“I come in at 9:30-10:15 a.m., sit down at my computer, and look through articles in French, German, and English to suggest topics to my boss that I believe we should either translate or write our piece on. Afterward, I am usually given an article of the day to translate by 12 p.m., and once I am done with that, depending on what is needed, I work on different parts of article development: finding articles, finding photographs, editing, proofing, uploading the photos, and or citing. Sometimes I am also given the task of writing extras to insert into new or older articles to make them relevant. I usually take an hour lunch break with a friend around 2 p.m. Work ends around 6 p.m.”

How did Saint Michael’s help you get where you are?

Aliou Cisse ’27 spent his summer 2024 doing an internship in Paris, France. (Photo courtesy of Aliou Cisse)

“Saint Michael’s connected me to the opportunity by introducing me to the program. [Study Abroad Director] Peggy Imai and [French] Professor [Peter] Vantine also helped lead me through the process and checked to make sure I had all the required documents.”

How is this internship contributing to your career goals and personal aspirations?

“The internship is helping me figure out if my major is something I still want to pursue (at the moment the answer is still yes). It’s also helping me create connections for if I want to continue in the journalism field. Also, gathering experience in another country like France will look good on my resume if I ever look to work in another country or if I want to do something with international relations.”