Student From Ypsilanti Selected for Television Academy Internship

Skyline High School alumna Riya Patchava has been selected for the prestigious Television Academy Foundation Internship Program. She is one of just 40 students chosen by Television Academy members from across the country for the 2024 Summer Internship Program. The Foundation offers paid internships at top Hollywood studios and production companies annually to college students nationwide.

Patchava will be a junior this fall at Michigan State University majoring in creative advertising with a minor in fiction filmmaking. She is a commercial production intern this summer at RadicalMedia in Los Angeles, California, through the Foundation’s Program. RadicalMedia is a global media and communications company that produces content for film, television and digital platforms.

Originally from Ypsilanti, Michigan, Patchava attended Skyline High School in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

“To be chosen out of hundreds of qualified applicants from all over [for this internship], I feel lucky to be able to take advantage of this incredible experience,” said Patchava.

“As a student, a lot of my work has been hypothetical,” said Patchava. “Most of my experience has been defined by school and personal projects along with smaller-scale company experience. This internship is my first chance to not just ‘dip my toes in’ but to fully submerge myself in the commercial production business. I will get to work and learn with some of the most creative and inspiring people in the field. I am beyond thrilled to get true hands-on experience in a profession that has been a dream of mine for so long, especially with an organization as reputable as the Television Academy Foundation!”

The Television Academy Foundation shapes the art of creating television by engaging and educating the next generation of television professionals providing essential resources that help them discover their voices, refine their skills and forge rewarding careers in every sector of the television industry. The Internship Program provides over 50 students from across the nation with hands-on work experience, mentorships and opportunities for accelerated career development in more than 30 disciplines annually.

The Television Academy Foundation’s Internship Program also provides professional development sessions with leaders in the television industry and customized seminars covering personal brand-building and navigating the job market ahead for participating students.

Foundation alumni include prominent writers, producers, documentarians, creative executives, network presidents and more. Interns also automatically become members of the Foundation’s alumni family, giving them access to year-round events and networking opportunities as they build their careers in the industry.