Somewhere in the looooong list of things the pandemic has disrupted (airplane travel, toilet paper supply chains, people’s sanity—need we say more?), we could include students’ internship plans. But fortunately for these students, the pandemic didn’t stop them from interning at several local companies. They adapted to remote work arrangements and gained valuable experience that will serve them well when they enter the job market.
Joe Lounsberry ’21, Finance Major
Intern at United States Liability Insurance
How I got the internship: I heard about it when a representative came to Immaculata. I started in January 2020 in the office. The company has a great culture in person as well as online.
Work I do: I am an intern on the Instant Quote Team, which is in the underwriting department. I work on scheduling and uploading quotes for the underwriters, compiling data about the business the team produces each week, which goes into a report for the CEO. I also delegate daily tasks for the other interns on my team.
What it’s like to work remotely: I can work more hours, since I do not have to commute. Going from in-person to remote taught me to be more adaptable to changes.
Internship benefits: It has given me a wide range of knowledge about the insurance industry and underwriting. It has also allowed me to make a lot of new connections to broaden my network.
Olive Monye ’22, Accounting and Finance Major
Tax intern at Global Tax Management
How I got the internship: One of my professors connected me with a student who had interned at GTM.
Work I did: I gathered financial data to assist with preparing both state and federal tax returns for companies. I helped ensure that all tax documents were accurate and in compliance with tax laws.
What it was like to work remotely: I called my assigned tax analyst almost every day when I ran into certain problems. We used video chat on Teams, and she took over my screen to show me how to handle certain situations. As time went on, I did not have to reach out to her as often.
Internship benefits: I had a mentor who checked in with me regularly, and I was able to network with people. Tax managers reviewed returns, and I often fixed my errors myself, which helped me learn from my mistakes. I’m grateful that I now have hands-on income tax experience.
Kathryn Restaino ’21, Business Management and Marketing Major
Intern at SuccessFuel
How I got the internship: On LinkedIn, I found a marketing internship for Catalyst Media (now SuccessFuel), which provides a business-to-business marketing platform.
Work I did: My main role was to generate leads for a specific company; this meant speaking with controllers and CFOs of all kinds of companies.
What it was like to work remotely: SuccessFuel had to train us and give us access to all the company information from our homes. We had video conference calls to go over the best ways to perform our jobs and overcome obstacles.
Internship benefits: This internship gave me experience speaking with business executives and how to take rejection. I learned how business-to-business marketing works and the importance of reaching out and generating solid leads.
James Ruppert ’21, Business Management and Marketing Major
Digital Marketing Intern at Lincoln Financial Group
How I got the internship: A friend interned at Lincoln and thought I’d like the culture there.
Work I did: I made cold calls and explained to wholesalers how Lincoln’s tools could make selling insurance easier. I worked with social media and wrote some scripts for videos. With a group of other interns, I gave a presentation about how Lincoln could use machine learning and artificial intelligence. I used my marketing skills to make it appealing, and multiple Lincoln employees asked for the presentation slides.
What it’s like to work remotely: I think I made the absolute best of it and learned how to interact using digital platforms. I networked a lot by sending emails to employees saying, “I’m an intern, and I’d love to pick your brain.”
Internship benefits: At first, I wasn’t sure if I’d feel that “Lincoln culture” from behind a computer screen, but I’m happy that Lincoln offered an engaging and beneficial internship program. I learned a lot about how things work in the corporate world. I enjoyed working in a financial services company, and I realized I want a career in this industry.
Shylea Hudson ’21, Interactive Digital Media Major
Intern at GKG Consulting
How I got the internship: I discussed my skills with Chanda Gilmore, assistant professor in the Arts, Languages & Letters Department, and she connected me with a contact of hers at GKG Consulting who could benefit from my skills.
Work I did: I’ve been building social media accounts and designing various graphic arts pieces for the company’s website—headers, logos and buttons. It’s been an exciting experience to showcase my keen eye for style and design, pushing the limits of my creativity.
What it was like to work remotely: I have been constantly reaching out to my supervisor for feedback through texts, emails and calls. I think skills like active listening, communication, focus, positivity and interpersonal skills are useful to have for networking.
Internship benefits: This has been a self-discovery period for me. Beyond helping me to refine my skills in graphic design, the internship allowed me to assist others. When I took on a project that would be used on the company’s website, I was nervous about messing up, but I have gained the courage to take on complex tasks. This project bolstered my confidence. I have also learned to track my achievements, and I believe these are strong skills to build and evaluate my career.
Carly Stoltzfus ’21, Business Management and Human Resources Management Major
Human Resources Intern at Chatham Financial
How I got the internship: I found my internship through Glassdoor, an online job board.
Work I did: I worked on a variety of projects that include an internal I-9 audit, employee engagement survey reports, and building an employee toolkit.
What it was like to work remotely: My internship was changed at the last minute to all virtual. This scared me at first; however, Chatham Financial conducted a wonderful program. We had virtual events and used email, Slack, and Skype. I had meetings with my boss every day to review my projects and tasks, as well as any questions I had.
Internship benefits: I learned about many different functions of HR, the importance of compliance, and how to act in a professional setting. I dove deeper into each section of HR, which allowed me to think about which direction of HR I could see myself in the most.