Spreading Hope Amid a Pandemic: Seth, Journalism Intern

Job 42:2 tells us that God can do all things, and that nothing can stand in the way of what he has planned. This verse certainly resonates with Seth Dotson, whose opportunity to intern abroad with TWR Africa this summer has been dampened by the pandemic. Though not able to be physically present at his work site in South Africa, Seth has found a way to serve remotely from his home in Sterling, Virginia.

Seth is a recent graduate of the journalism program at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. He is serving as a journalism intern with the marketing and communications department at TWR Africa this summer.

Q: How did you hear about TWR?
I got to know about it through an online recruitment site shown to me by my academic advisor at my school. I had also heard the name previously through some friends of my family who had affiliations with TWR in the past.

Q: What brought you to intern with TWR this summer?
Seeing the opportunity to apply and work for an evangelical organization allowed me to put my new skills as a journalist-in-training to their best possible use in the mission of spreading the gospel. At the time I applied, I was also greatly looking forward to the opportunity to travel abroad for this internship – a hope that was unfortunately cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Q: What have you been working on over the summer?
So far, writing articles for the TWR Africa website. As the internship continues to progress over the coming weeks, I shall see what other tasks my supervisor may have planned for me and work to fulfill whatever those are to the best of my ability.

Q: How does your internship align with your passions and calling?
As a Christian, this internship with TWR allows me to fulfill my role of witnessing to unsaved individuals and people groups who are unfamiliar with the gospel, and it allows me to use my training in journalism and my passion for writing to do so.

Q: What is the biggest challenge you’ve encountered so far in your internship, and how have you overcome it?
Performing the internship remotely has been slightly challenging, since time zones are very different, and communication is slower. This sometimes means taking longer to get some tasks completed.  At the same time, I feel the pressure is much lighter than it would have been if I were doing the internship onsite.

Q: What do you hope to achieve during your internship?
I’d like to use my work to advance the gospel while sharpening my writing skills to a professional standard.

Q: What is one thing you have learned this summer?
I’ve learned that different organizations have different writing requirements, and it takes some work to adapt to each new style even if you’ve been writing for a while.

Q: Tell us a little-known or fun fact about yourself!
In addition to writing, I also really enjoy art/drawing, be it drawing with pencils and pens or on the computer using a graphic design software.