Two Love School of Business students, Hector Serrano Martin ’26 and Gabrielle Lerner ’27, turned New York City into a hands-on classroom through internships in global finance and luxury fashion.
New York City’s intensity can feel like a world apart from campus, and for two Martha and Spencer Love School of Business students the city became a living case study.
Hector Serrano Martin ’26: Thriving on the Trading Floor
Finance major Hector Serrano Martin joined the world’s largest interdealer broker, TP ICAP, as a Global Broking intern. He rotated among desks that handle interest-rate swaps, securities lending and emerging-market credit, observing every step from price discovery to trade execution.
“New York is the center of global finance,” said Hector Serrano Martin ’26, a finance major from Dublin, Ireland. “I wanted to be surrounded by top professionals and high expectations.”
His capstone presentation on how artificial intelligence can streamline brokerage workflows sparked dialogue with senior leadership and highlighted the analytical and presentation skills he developed at Elon. The former Division I athlete thrived on the floor’s intensity. “It reminded me of game day,” Serrano Martin said. “You have to stay locked in from the opening bell to the close.”
Between sessions on the desk, he balanced two online classes and other commitments, sharpening time-management habits he will bring back to campus.
“Stay proactive and learn from every person in the room,” Serrano Martin said. “That curiosity is what turns an internship into a launch pad.”
Gabrielle Lerner ’27: Crafting VIP Experiences in Fashion
Every morning Gabrielle Lerner caught a 20-minute train from her home in Tenafly, New Jersey, to Giorgio Armani’s U.S. headquarters. There, the marketing major joined the Client Relations team serving the brand’s highest-tier customers.
She built Excel dashboards to track VIP spending patterns and developed marketing copy that won approval from company leaders in Milan before reaching clients, a proud moment that showed her ideas could resonate on an international stage.
“I walk into the office every morning and still can’t believe I’m here,” said Lerner. “Seeing my words go to clients around the world showed me the power of great storytelling.”
Weekly workshops with merchandising, retail and trade-marketing teams broadened her view of fashion careers and revealed how heavily luxury relies on data. This insight motivated her to enroll in an advanced analytics elective this spring.
“Give every opportunity a chance even if it feels outside your comfort zone,” Lerner said. “You never know which connection will open the next door.”
About Internships at Elon University
Elon’s nationally recognized Student Professional Development Center counselors work with undergraduates from their first year to create personal development plans, résumés and strong networking skills. Through internships, students earn academic credit, gain firsthand knowledge of the workplace and obtain professional skills that put them ahead of other college graduates. Elon partners with an expansive network of employers across the country who actively recruit students for internships and full-time positions.