Staff perspective: My internship in Corporate Communications

By Sahar Jamfar (she/her), Associate Editor, Sage.

For LGBTQ+ History Month in 2022, I had the opportunity to organize and lead an event. During my internship in the Corporate Communications team at Sage, I expressed an interest in this type of project, and I was so excited to have this autonomy. 

This was an online webinar, reaching both internal and external audiences, titled "LGBTQIA+ History: Law Breakers and Society Shakers.” While the theme and discussion focused on the UK, it also reached a global audience. With the help of my colleague, I set out researching panelists of interest, carving out times and dates for the webinar, coming up with the title, liaising with our design team for promotional images, and promoting the event on social media.  

I hadn’t done anything like this before, but I loved scoping out the structure of the webinar, getting to know the panelists, and leading on a more creative project within a team. As someone who is also part of the LGBTQIA+ employee group at Sage, it was important for me to organize an event that both the community and allies could appreciate. 

Overall, feedback was hugely positive: 

• “That was such an interesting and enjoyable discussion.” 

• “Great conversation, and it was lovely to meet/see you all.” 

• “You’ve done such a brilliant job.” 

I’m glad I’m part of an organization where individuals are encouraged to be creative and autonomous, knowing the team is there for support. This was definitely one of the highlights of my internship. 

If you haven’t done so already, you can watch a recording of the webinar

About

Sahar Jamfar, (she/her) is Associate Editor for nursing, social work and study skills textbooks at Sage. She has a BA in policy, politics and economics from the University of Birmingham and MA in international publishing at City University. She is passionate about her Letterboxd and Goodreads accounts, cooking and baking, and Drag Race.