Life can be funny sometimes, so JCCC graduate Emily Menez is taking her comedic humor to New York City this fall as an intern for the long-running NBC comedy, Saturday Night Live.

Menez has always had a knack for comedy and knew that she wanted to be a writer. That dream brought her first to JCCC and then to Ithaca College where she is currently pursuing her Bachelor of Science degree in television and radio broadcasting.

“I began writing plays when I was about 12 years old,” Menez said. “From there I moved into screen plays and an interest in television writing and comedy.”

At Ithaca, she began looking for internship opportunities. A professor, knowing that she was interested in comedy, suggested she apply at Saturday Night Live. Menez went through the application process and was one of three interns selected.

Her experiences and duties at Saturday Night Live will vary. Mostly she will be assisting writers in the script department with copies to be sure all of the performers have up-to-date-scripts.

“The most exciting thing for me will be the opportunity to work alongside the writers to see firsthand how the script-writing process works,” she said.

If everything goes her way, Menez will travel across the country, this time to the west coast. She is currently investigating other internship opportunities for the spring 2013 semester, once again in the writing department of a television comedy.

“I would like to do another internship in comedy,” she said. “This time maybe with the Conan (O’Brien) show in Los Angeles.”

Menez plans on graduating from Ithaca College in May 2013. After that, she says that she would like to pursue a career in television comedy writing.

“After graduation,” she said, “I would like to go to Second City where I would train for improv and comedy.”

She also said that many successful Saturday Night Live interns do get permanent job offers, so that could also be a possibility for this young writer.

Menez began her academic pursuit at JCCC right after high school, taking journalism classes and becoming involved in extracurricular activities while working on her associate degree, which she earned in May 2011. A dedicated and active student, she partook in many activities on campus including JCAV, The Campus Ledger, and Phi Theta Kappa. She received an award in the Cavalier Film Festival and had the honor of being named to the All-Kansas Academic Team in 2011.

Menez said she had a lot to learn about taking college classes, but the staff and faculty did an excellent job priming her for future academic pursuits.

“JCCC prepared me in so many ways,” she said. “I learned to appreciate the process of getting a higher education. I learned critical time-management skills and learned to organize my priorities.”

She says the staff and faculty at JCCC were knowledgeable and encouraging. She appreciates the fact that they continuously challenged and supported her.

“The faculty and staff always believed in me. No one ever told me that I could not do something. Instead, they encouraged me to try. I was given the best tools to be successful,” she said. “The challenge is in what you do with those tools. It is what you put into it personally that makes your experience rewarding.”