Within minutes of a conversation with Merryn McKeough, you’ll quickly learn her about her passions for dancing, psychology, reading, baking and all things related to the great outdoors. Originally from Wilmette, Illinois, a northern Chicago suburb, Merryn began dancing during her childhood years. During her sophomore year, she started taking modern classes and later on, began movement improvisation classes, as well. When Merryn started her first year at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, she did not see dance in the picture. It did not take long for her to realize the dancing chapter of her life was far from over.
Merryn is an Arts Administrative Intern this semester (fall 2020) with DanceATL and is in her junior year at Emory. She is a psychology and dance double-major who, after graduating in the spring of 2022, hopes to pursue a career in a creative field, ideally doing something related to dance. As an Arts Administrative Intern, Merryn works on social media management, creates promotional graphics for events, initiates email campaigns through MailChimp, and the list goes on. In chatting with Merryn, she shared some new skills she has developed through her internship experience, her favorite projects she has worked on, as well as some tips and takeaways for potential interns as they begin searching for internship opportunities. Merryn has learned to successfully use MailChimp, WordPress and Facebook Studio Creator. In doing so, she found that the emphasis the organization places on accessibility has really benefited her outlook and ideas for school and future jobs. Merryn has been able to use many of these skills on various projects including Dance the Vote, a week-long event encouraging people across the nation to vote and use movement to encourage others to do the same. Being interested in the voting process and an advocate against voter suppression, she highlights this experience as being a highlight to her experience with DanceATL.
To keep up with classes, her internship and life outside of academics, Merryn plans her weeks by blocking off specific days and hours for each action item. She has also learned to be flexible and is always ready to come up with on-the-spot solutions and ideas. Merryn’s biggest reminder to future interns is that “it’s okay to not know how to do everything when first starting an internship experience; at the end of the day, the end-goal is for you to learn and expand your skillset.” Merryn has hugely enjoyed interning with DanceATL and is excited to see what her final months as an intern will encompass.
We are currently accepting intern applications for spring 2021! Please click here for more information. Email your resume and cover letter to Jacquelyn Pritz at operationsmanager@danceatl.org. Deadline to apply is 11:59 p.m. November 9, 2020.
Dory Berry is a fall 2020 Arts Administration Intern with DanceATL. She is a senior at Agnes Scott majoring in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Read more about her intern experience here.