Bridging the Gap Between Scholarship and Society
A third-year PhD candidate in Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies, Fatemeh NasrEsfahani spent the past summer at Mizna, a Minneapolis-based arts and culture organization that supports contemporary Arab and Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA) creative production.
During the valuable two-month internship, NasrEsfahani got to merge academic research with public-facing cultural programming and develop new skills.
What were your top three job responsibilities?
- Independent research project: I advanced my ongoing dissertation project on women and comedy in Iran, investigating how humor and comedic performance function as tools for activism, community engagement, and resistance. I focused on their political and cultural significance within Middle Eastern and SWANA contexts.
- Public-facing writing and presentation: I drafted and revised an 800-word blog post for Mizna Online, a platform designed for a general audience, highlighting the impact of women’s comedy as a mode of resistance and social critique. I also developed and delivered a presentation that made my academic research accessible and engaging to a broader community.
- Audience survey design: I contributed to Mizna’s broader programming by creating a reader survey designed to explore what kinds of content most resonate with its audience, both online and in print. I began the project in mid-July, shaping questions around reader interests, content preferences, and ideas for making Mizna’s work more accessible and far-reaching. By the end of my internship in August, I had carried the survey through its final stages, providing a tool that will help Mizna deepen its connection with its community.
What were some challenges and successes?
One challenge was designing an inclusive survey that could engage a diverse, multicultural audience across platforms. While I had prior experience in survey design and data collection, this was my first time creating a survey for such a wide and varied readership. It pushed me to think critically about language, accessibility, and user experience.
On the other hand, a major success was transforming my academic research into formats that could resonate with non-academic audiences, both in written and oral form. This experience deepened my commitment to public scholarship.
What was the highlight of your internship?
The most meaningful and surprising aspect of this internship was getting to know Mizna as a cultural institution and witnessing the breadth of its impact. It was inspiring to be part of an organization that centers SWANA voices through literature, art, and activism.
This experience strengthened my belief in the power of cultural production as a vehicle for political and social change, and it opened new possibilities for how I envision my research contributing to communities beyond academic ones.
How did you find your internship? What tips do you have for others seeking similar opportunities?
I secured this internship through the support of my academic advisor, who helped connect me with Mizna, an organization that is aligned with my research interests in feminist media and SWANA cultural production.
Before securing this position, I applied to more than 20 internship opportunities, attended the University’s job fair, explored listings on the University of Minnesota job boards, and reached out to professionals through email and events. While these were valuable first steps, I have come to understand that networking is not a one-time effort but a long-term process that requires patience, consistency, and the building of genuine relationships and professional trust.
In retrospect, I believe one of the most helpful strategies for graduate students is to start networking as early as possible, ideally in the first year of their program. Attending relevant workshops, conferences, and departmental events—both on campus and nationally—can help you stay visible and connected. Even informal conversations at panels or campus gatherings can lead to opportunities down the road.
Looking back, I wish I had been more consistent in my networking and reached out to past event contacts or conference peers more often. Nevertheless, this internship taught me how vital community-centered organizations like Mizna can be for applying academic skills in public-facing, impactful ways.
What are your top three takeaways from the internship? How has it helped inform your future plans?
One of my most important takeaways from this internship was learning how to work collaboratively within an organization. I developed a better understanding of how to communicate with a supervisor, manage timelines, and meet expectations based on an organization’s specific needs and priorities. This was an important shift from academic work, which is often more independent and self-paced.
Second, I gained practical experience using tools like Google Forms to design and distribute surveys. I also learned how to analyze the resulting data to better understand audience engagement. This experience gave me new skills in applied research and digital outreach that I can use in both academic and community-centered work.
Finally, I discovered how meaningful it is to apply my research beyond the academic world. Working with a community-based arts organization like Mizna helped me realize that I want to continue engaging with public-facing work that builds bridges between scholarship and broader audiences. I now see more clearly that my future path may include roles that combine academic research with cultural programming, advocacy, or collaborative projects with nonprofits. As a result, this internship helped me realize that I can go beyond the traditional boundaries of my academic discipline. I found that I enjoy community-engaged work and value the learning that comes from being in conversation with others outside the university. It reaffirmed that I want my work to be accessible, collaborative, and impactful—both within and beyond academia.
This story was edited by Anushka Raychaudhuri, an undergraduate student in CLA.
