Meet Cyreema Marshall - Another Intern Success Story

Elevate to Even+ • February 13, 2025

A woman wearing a black shirt and earrings is smiling for the camera.

As a freshman at Emory University, Newark's Cyreema Marshall was brimming with curiosity and ambition, ready to take her first steps into the professional world. Little did she know, Elevate+ would open doors she never imagined. "Ms. Amato at North Star Academy connected me with this incredible program, and I’m so grateful she did," Cyreema shared. Her decision to join Elevate+ became a defining step in her academic and professional journey.

As part of the program, Cyreema interned with two organizations over two summers: Discovery Orchestra and HTTV. At Discovery Orchestra, she served as an administrative intern, where her work entailed reorganizing YouTube videos, creating promotional material, and developing a database of featured music and musicians. Through her work there, she developed a keen understanding of organizational management.

Her second placement, with HTTV, had a profound influence on her career aspirations. Cyreema learned to storyboard, edit, and refine video content, mastering technical tools that would later prove invaluable in her career. "Being able to edit my own video with HTTV and see the final product made me realize that media production was something I wanted to pursue," she said. This hands-on experience not only honed her technical skills but also ignited a passion for storytelling through media.

The professional development resources offered by Elevate+ were equally transformative. "The speaker series was both informative and inspiring," Cyreema explained. So impressed by Cyreema's on-screen presence, Elevate+ invited her to host the Role Model Speaker Series, featuring chats with accomplished professionals in a variety of fields—work she was compensated to perform. "The sessions gave me the tools to navigate professional environments and equipped me with strategies to connect with mentors and peers. It helped me build confidence and master professional communication."

Reflecting on the challenges she overcame, Cyreema credits her Elevate+ internship experience with helping her gain confidence in her abilities and adapt to new professional settings. "It helped me gain experience working and mastering the basics of a professional environment, from communication to time management," she noted.

A key moment in Cyreema’s journey was the mentorship she received from Christine Thorsen at Discovery Orchestra, and from Elevate+ Trustee Beth Gottung, who happens to be the co-head of Montclair Folm. "Christine’s organizational insights and Beth’s creative vision gave me the confidence to combine technical expertise with storytelling—a balance that has shaped my career goals," she shared. Their guidance helped her navigate her internships and inspired her to take ownership of her professional growth.

Looking back, Cyreema believes Elevate+ played a pivotal role in her development. "I think Elevate+ has connected me with mentors and given me experiences I wouldn’t have had otherwise," she emphasized. The program not only expanded her skill set but also opened doors to future opportunities.

Cyreema’s advice to future interns is simple but powerful: "Maintain connections through natural conversations and seize every opportunity to grow. Those relationships and experiences can shape your career path in unexpected ways."

Today, Cyreema continues to apply the skills she developed during her internships, particularly her expertise in media production. "My editing skills that I developed while at HTTV have already been useful in my academic and personal projects," she said.

She also credits her Elevate+ experience for helping her land an opportunity to work at the Cannes Film Festival the summer before her senior year. Her journey from editing videos in a New Jersey television studio to interning at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival demonstrates how Elevate+ empowers young people to know what they are capable of doing and achieve more. From community television in New Jersey to the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival in France—an impressive progression!

Elevate+ helped Cyreema Marshall build confidence, develop technical expertise, and connect with inspiring mentors. Cyreema’s journey is a powerful reminder of the potential waiting to be unlocked in young professionals. With Elevate+, all it takes is one opportunity to transform ambition into achievement.

Internship: Discovery Orchestra, Summer 2022

HTTV, Summer 2023

Currently: Senior, Emory University

You can connect with Cyreema on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cyreema-marshall-1b3949232/

Check out the impressive video Cyreema produced during her HTTV internship :

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