Due to the pandemic, hundreds of internships shifted to remote work experiences.
Hundreds of Martha and Spencer Love School of Business students gained professional experience this summer by completing internships in areas such as sales, human resources, finance, accounting and project management.
As part of the Internships in Business course, 284 students completed summer internships for academic credit with a variety of companies, including Aflac, AT&T, Baker Tilly, Bank of America, Fidelity, John Hancock, MetLife, Northwestern Mutual, Barnum Financial Group, EY, KPMG and PwC.
Approximately 200 of those internships were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, shifting many of them to remote work experiences.
“I adjusted quickly although it was strange at first,” said Tessa DiPierdomenico ’22, who interned with Fogo Island Inn in marketing and sales. “I had to imagine it as an online class but longer. It is easy to get distracted while being at home, but focusing on the work was enjoyable because I found it interesting.”
“Interning remotely has been a great challenge, but thankfully Bob Barker Company equipped me with the necessary tools to make communication easier,” said data cleansing and migration intern Jovani Mendez-Sandoval ‘22. “I have been able to communicate with my team on various platforms to complete projects.”
With original plans changed, students adapted to working from home.
“I have learned that the best way to adapt to working remotely is by getting myself in a routine with short breaks throughout the day to go on walks, eat and recharge so I can go back to work with more energy and focus,” said Shannon Fraser, an asset management product governance intern for Fidelity Investments.
Mendez-Sandoval added, “I made sure to make my room and workspace professional for those necessary video calls and take self-care breaks for my physical and mental health.”
Students noted remote work made building connections with colleagues challenging.
“Missing out on company events and get-togethers made it harder to connect and make myself known beyond my job site in a company-wide setting,” said Jack Roberts, a project intern for Samet Corporation. “Networking within the company was a goal of mine and COVID-19 made that somewhat harder to achieve.”
“[The pandemic] made it difficult to have those short conversations that you have by running into people in the hallways, talking with the people at the desk next to you, and going to company culture events,” Fraser added.
“My internship was a mix of in person and remote,” said Austin Laughery ’21, a digital marketing intern with WakeMed Health & Hospitals. “I liked the fact that I had the option of both but found my time in the office to be more rewarding due to the interaction with the team and the opportunity to participate in discussions and see how things in the marketing department work.”
While the internships may have been structured differently this summer, students still learned skills, gained industry knowledge and grew their networks.
“My biggest takeaway from my internship is being able to apply what I learned in my management of information systems and econometrics courses to analyze data,” Mendez-Sandoval said. “I have been able to improve my technical skills and understanding of ERP systems through various projects.”
“Any experience is good experience in the right context,” Roberts said. “Perhaps the most important thing I took away is the importance of creating genuine relationships because they can truly become an asset.”
“My biggest takeaway is it is okay not to know everything in the area you are interning in, but ask questions and be eager to learn,” Fraser noted. “My advice to upcoming interns is to reach out and connect with as many people on your team, colleagues, managers, and other interns as you can throughout your internship. Take advantage of the opportunities to network with people for your future by asking questions, hearing about their career path, and roles they have in their current job.”
“Make the most of your time,” Laughery added. “Ask questions, volunteer to take on new responsibilities. The more you put in, the more you get out.”
“Going into this internship, I had no idea what I wanted to do after graduation,” said Ashley Owens ’21, a Bank of America advisor development summer analyst. “Throughout my internship, I had the opportunity to hear from many different speakers, in different lines of business at Bank of America. By asking questions and listening actively, I was able to get a better understanding of what I liked and didn’t like within certain positions.”
“The biggest takeaway I learned from this internship experience and in the hospitality industry is to be flexible and adaptable,” DiPierdomenico said. “With everything changing in the world and nothing being certain, you have to be able to think on your feet and adapt to the current situation.”