Internships give a firsthand look at careers

Internships are a wonderful way for students to explore possible careers, and UD’s Bank of America Career Services Center provides a database with hundreds of opportunities.

“Some internships are offered throughout the year, and others are available during summer or winter sessions,” Joyce Henderson, assistant director at the center, says. “We show interested students the resources, perhaps help them with their résumés and then let them make contact themselves. We urge them to start as early as possible because, if they start in their sophomore year, they might be able to have three internships before they enter the job market.”

Henderson says that one student recently served as a program coordinator with the Make a Wish Foundation, where she managed the public relations database and marketing; a business major interned with Smith-Barney in New York City; and communication majors have found internships at Comcast Sports Communications and the CBS Early Show, where they researched segments and
helped write scripts.

Julia O’Brien, AS ’07, a senior from Washington, D.C., interned last summer at WHYY, the public broadcasting station in greater Philadelphia and Wilmington, Del. WHYY offers unpaid internships every semester to undergraduate college students, and last summer the station accepted 25 students from 17 colleges.

“I worked as a research intern for the children’s service department,” O’Brien says. “This department not only broadcasts award-winning children’s programs on TV12 but also provides outreach workshops and a wide selection of off-air resources for parents, child-care providers, educators and children.”

O’Brien helped develop an outreach workshop to accompany the Curious George television series that began in September. “The workshop enhanced the math, science and engineering skills that are presented to the children in the series,” she says. She also helped develop the background for future topics for “In the Spirit of Family,” a series of panel discussions hosted by Dan Gottlieb on WHYY radio.

“I chose this type of internship to gain research experience and to learn about the many ways that psychological research can impact the community,” O’Brien says, adding that she wants to pursue a career in social psychology.

Sophomore Michelle Notvest, BE ’09, a finance major from Lederach, Pa., interned at the U.S. Treasury, working on IRS audits during the summer. “Applying what I learned at UD to the real world was an exciting experience, and I also learned firsthand about the workings of the federal government,” she says of her experience.

Notvest sent in her résumé, and after three interviews, she was accepted for a 10-week internship with Richard Holcomb, deputy chief financial officer of the U.S. Treasury. “Last year, I took a financial accounting course and a business information systems course, and both were invaluable in helping me to do my job,” she says.

“I created a database using Access to do trend analysis on audit reports from the IRS. These reports were circulated to different Treasury offices, pinpointing IRS problems. I had the opportunity to present my findings to a small management committee. I also assisted with the preparation of the Treasury’s financial statements.”

There were about 100 interns at the U.S. Treasury, but Notvest was one of the few paid for her service. There are other opportunities for interns in the program, she says.

The University itself sponsors some internships. The James R. Soles Undergraduate Citizenship Endowment is a fund established by former students, colleagues and friends of Jim Soles, Alumni Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Political Science and International Relations. The endowment provides stipends ranging from $100 to $25,000 to UD political science and/or international relations majors and minors as they work as summer interns in public service assignments throughout the country.

Last summer, Meredith White, AS ’07, a political science major from Kirkwood, Mo., worked in Washington, D.C., for her home state congressman, Russ Carnahan. She says the $3,000 stipend she received “helped with my housing expenses and took a lot off my shoulders so I could concentrate on the internship. I worked almost every weekday from 9 in the morning to 6 in the evening for free, and it didn’t seem like a sacrifice at all. It was a real honor.”

A newly created 10-week Washington Fellows Program allows students to participate in professional experiences in the nation’s capital. Sponsored by UD’s Institute for Public Administration in the College of Human Services, Education and Public Policy, the program is open to both undergraduate and graduate students.

Applicants take a written test and interview with a panel of representatives from offices in Washington. Interns receive a stipend, work 35 hours each week, write papers on their experiences and earn two academic credits.

“It’s an opportunity for the students to gain professional experience and also an opportunity to experience life in Washington, D.C.,” Ed Freel, policy scientist in the institute, says.

“Whether they eventually work in Washington or for state or local government, this program will certainly increase their value as employees in the future.”