As a part of the School of Liberal Arts “Trilogy of Opportunity”, a student internship panel was held on Wednesday, November 4th. This internship panel allowed five students to discuss their experiences as interns at a number of various organizations. This diversity was greatly appreciated as it allowed students from several disciplines to attend and experience some type of relevance and familiarity. The majors covered among these five interns included Economics, Computer Science, Social Work, Political Science, Finance and History. This event, held by the School of Liberal Arts in conjunction with the Career Center and the Community Living Sophomore Year Experience, was extremely valuable to all those in attendance, especially as a result of the mixtures of positions. As the administrators fired questions at the panel of students, they each had an opportunity to speak about their individual knowledge and experiences within the internship world.

While all of these students worked at an internship or entry-level position, their experiences were subject to the corporate cultures and job duties that they were thrust into. However, each individual’s advice is just as valuable as the next regardless of what type of internship they acquired. These internships included Zakir Hussain’s internship as an Analytics and Business Strategist at JP Morgan Chase, David Etkin’s extensive computer science internship, Stephanie Schoonmaker’s position at the Albany Medical Hospital Critical Care Unit, Kaitlyn Krolik’s White House as well as NYS Senate internship’s, Erik Bereshein’s demanding internship at Ayco and finally Matt O’Keefe’s international internship in Australia as a U.S. Consulate. These immense differences in positions lead to immense differences in advice, however that is not to say that one persons advice was more valuable than another’s. It all depended on what field interested the audience the most. Advice was given on a variety of subjects that a student attempting to get an internship would be dying to know. This included instructions on how to efficiently secure an internship, the interview process, following up, as well as standing out above other interns. They also thoroughly discussed the after thought of an internship and the importance of staying in touch with people and bosses at previous jobs. The connections made at an internship may, in fact, lead to a full time secure job in the future so it is important to be noticed and hardworking at whatever position one is given.

The panelists continued on about how instrumental these experiences were to their growth personally and as professionals. They also discussed how these same experiences have given them enormous opportunities as they graduate from college and search for a career. As a college student, it is easy to assume that life has not even started, but attending this internship panel proves just the opposite and secures the notion that the future is now. Sitting on an internship panel were physically five students that started to pave a path to their future and took full advantages of the opportunities presented to them now rather than waiting.