If the Student Internship Panel happened to slip through your fingers this semester, it would be highly beneficial to catch the next one. This first exciting installment of the School of Liberal Arts Spring “Trilogy of Opportunity” was conducted on Wednesday, March 9th. The Career Center, School of Liberal Arts, and Community Living graciously constructed this event for students to learn more about having internships throughout college. This panel, gathered in the Norm, gave six students the opportunity to discuss their experiences as interns at a number of very different organizations/companies. The internship diversity within these students was very notable and greatly appreciated. These differences in academic disciplines gave all those in attendance some type of relevance and familiarity to the point where everyone in attendance left with some more extensive knowledge of their field or focus.
The intern and academic focuses covered among these six individuals included Psychology, Computer Science, Management, Economics, and Political Science. As each field is drastically different from the next, each internship experience was also drastically different. So, as the mediators fired questions at these six students, each answer had something very specific and interesting to their situation that others could not exactly speak to. They all had an opportunity to talk about their knowledge and experiences within their personal internship placements and the inner workings of the processes they went through. The combination of answers these six students provided to each question delivered a well-rounded and diverse response, which in return more adequately prepared the audience for any situation they may find themselves in.
These respectable, successful student panelist’s included Nick Roden, Mary Kate Thompson, Augustin J. (AJ) Lianzo, Anthony Bjelke, Koushik Pernati, and Dina DiCarlo. While each of these students worked at an entry-level position (with the exception of a couple), their experiences were all subject to the corporate cultures and responsibilities thrust upon them. However, each panelist’s advice is just as esteemed as the next irrespective of his or her placement. Advice was shared on a number of subjects that an individual applying to internships would be dying to know. This included guidelines on how to effectively secure an internship position, the interview process, networking, and everything down to the proper work attire. They also comprehensively communicated the importance of LinkedIn and using the resources available at the school to make connections and get information.
As a college student, it is easy to get in the mindset that real life has not started yet, but after attending this student internship panel, just the opposite is proven. Hearing about these experiences and opportunities secures the notion that the future is, in fact, now and there are those who are already ahead of the curve. On this internship panel were six incredible students that have already started to pave a path to their future and took full advantages of the opportunities presented to them now rather than hoping for the best after graduation.