Lucas intern finds creative energy

It was the moment of truth. Her task was to design a Web page from scratch. Her time was limited. This situation was unlike her experiences in IU classrooms. This time, it was the real world.\nShe was working for one of the most well-known game developers in the nation: Lucas Arts. And she had fewer than 24 hours to test her knowledge and ability to handle a high-pressure situation. It was her first assignment.\n"I completely froze," said Melissa Federoff, a graduate student. "I wasted a whole day sitting at my desk, completely terrified that I wouldn't be able to get a design idea for the site. So I went in to work the next day at five in the morning so that I would have something to show the team. I had a burst of creative energy and had three design concepts finished by 8 a.m."\nLast summer, Federoff left Indiana to experience another world. She spent 74 days interning at Lucas Arts. And now it's a matter of months before she receives her master of science degree and begins working toward her dream of permanent office space at the company.\n"The most amazing part of Lucas Arts is that the little kid inside you can actually find a job here making decent money," Federoff said.\nBut she was quick to mention that "the level of responsibility keeps you grounded in adulthood."\nPlanning began long before the summer. Federoff didn't stop her search after she participated in IU's job fairs. She also checked out Purdue's technology job fair. \n"If I hadn't seen (Lucas Arts) listed there, I'm not sure I would have ever thought of pursuing an internship with them," Federoff said.\nFederoff went to the fair with a cover letter and resume in hand tailored to their program. She talked with a Lucas Arts representative who shared with her that the company was looking for a Web design intern within their product marketing department.\nShe sent in another cover letter and resume and three months later she received an encouraging phone call. The voice on the other line: The Internet manager of Lucas Arts.\n"I was ecstatic because I knew I was in the running for the position, but I didn't want to get my hopes up too high," she said. "I knew there would be a lot of competition."\nTwo weeks later she had a second interview with the Webmaster. The school year concluded and she hadn't yet heard back from the company.\nAnd then she received a third call. \n"I was in my car driving down Atwater when they called," Federoff said. "I almost crashed because I was so excited."\nSure enough, some time later she was boarding a plane for California.\n"I think it's going to be perfect," Federoff wrote in her journal.\nThe building is down the road from the Skywalker Ranch, home of the film company and sound studios that produced movies such as the "Star Wars" series.\nFederoff's office was its own entity and she called it 'the beach ball pit' because each wall was a different bright color.\nShe spent the first part of the summer coding, and eventually received the opportunity to design a site from scratch. \n"I enjoyed the fact that what was expected out of me was equal to that of a permanent employee," Federoff said.\nFive years of work in IU's Department of Telecommunications gave her the essential knowledge and preparation, she said.\n"I was well-equipped with the skills I needed to be able to perform on the job," Federoff said.\nShe didn't do it alone.\n"At any point that I hit an obstacle I couldn't work around, I had other people on my team willing and able to help me resolve the problem," Federoff said.\nFederoff also said she fell in love with the atmosphere of the northern California Bay Area. \n"I can't describe this place and do it justice -- but it's magnificent. The ocean, the bay, the mountains -- they're all here and within a few miles of each other," Melissa wrote in her journal.\nMelissa saw the light sabers used in Star Wars, hiked to the top of Mt. Tamalpais, and took salsa lessons once a week. She also received many benefits through the company including free private film screenings every weekend and a free copy of every game released by Lucas Arts.\nFederoff walked away from the experience with many intangible gifts. \n"I thought my internship would teach me about HTML and Flash, instead of learning technical skills I learned about myself. I now know what I want to do and where I want to be," Federoff said.\nDespite the recent economic recession, Federoff has the experience, a developed resume and the drive to succeed.\nThom Gillespie, head of Masters in Immersive Mediated Environments, said the internship is very competitive.\n"Melissa is a pretty special person and getting the internship at Lucas is just one aspect of her," Gillespie said. "She combines intelligence and creativity in very interesting ways"