Internship Spotlight: Montana Parnell for Cosmopolitan Magazine

Meet Montana - one of TFI’s standout students who’s proving that real-world experience is where confidence and opportunity collide.

Currently completing her Bachelor’s degree remotely, Montana has embraced every challenge and turned it into growth. From collaborating on industry-led projects to landing an internship with Cosmopolitan Australia. Her story is a perfect reflection of what it means to study at The Fashion Institute: gaining hands-on experience, building meaningful industry connections, and preparing to step straight into the world of fashion, media, and communications after graduation.

Here, Montana shares her experience balancing study and industry, the highlight of seeing her own byline on the Cosmo site, and how TFI has supported her journey every step of the way.

How have you found your overall student-experience at TFI so far?

I’ve had a great experience during my time at TFI. Being a remote student has definitely had its challenges, but despite this, the college has so many amazing industry connections and a great network of supporting lecturers and staff. I’ve learned so much from practical projects across so many different marketing, comms, and PR landscapes.

How did you feel supported throughout the internship process - both from TFI and/or cosmopolitan?

Tanya (our industry operations lead) was such an amazing help through the process and was the one who asked if I’d be interested in applying for it in the first place. She checked in with me and supported me every step of the way! The Cosmo team has been so welcoming and really encouraging too during the process.

What’s been the highlight of your internship so far, and what have you learned from it?

Definitely being able to write articles and seeing my name as an author on the Cosmo website, it feels so surreal. I’ve learned how fast paced the media industry really is and how important teamwork can be to execute important tasks smoothly too.

Do you feel the internship is helping you build the real-life experience and industry connections you’ll need to kickstart your career?

Absolutely! I’ve formed great connections which will be extremely helpful when I complete my studies. It’s also made me so much more confident in my ability to write pieces and showcase my skills to a team from a marketing perspective.

Have any new opportunities (like job offers or ongoing work) come from your internship yet?

Not just yet, I still have 6 weeks left of uni and 9 weeks left with Cosmo, but I am actively looking for post-graduate jobs that I can begin early 2026.

Is there anything you’d say to future students considering studying at TFI?

I’d say go for it, the practical experience that comes with studying at TFI is really industry-focused (which is extremely important from a marketing perspective), and you get amazing support from staff and lecturers who genuinely want you to succeed.