This summer, students from the University of Delaware’s Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics discovered new avenues for professional preparation and practical hands-on experience. Lerner College students pursued an array of internships, externships and other professional development opportunities. From MBA scholars to undergraduates entering their second year at UD, students across a spectrum of Lerner programs shared their experiences accomplishing an assortment of projects.
Each profile of our “My Summer Internship” series will provide a glimpse into one of these unique experiences and how students applied knowledge from their studies to be successful in the real-world.
Catherine Osinubi, class of 2026 management information systems major, spent her summer as an IT business systems analyst with W.L. Gore & Associates.
Lerner: How did you find out about this internship? Why did you pursue it?
Osinubi: I knew about Gore prior to applying for the internship. I found this job offer not from networking or career fairs but through a Gore campus recruiting website. I went through with the application because this is one of the few times I saw management information systems being offered as a role and it was more STEM geared, which is what I was searching for.
Lerner: What was the most exciting task or project that you completed?
Osinubi: The most exciting part of my internship was working with my team. To start off the summer we had a training session that really helped us get on track and formulate our plans for completing tasks and appeasing the stakeholders.
Lerner: What did you learn from the internship that you think you would not have learned elsewhere?
Osinubi: I learned how to properly create workplace connections. I truly enjoy networking, but at Gore the culture is amazing. I was able to take initiative and learn how to reach out to coworkers to connect and build my lattice. I also learned how to manage my own work and progress. This enabled me to ensure that I was taking ownership in the work I was completing and my part in the projects.
Lerner: What is an example of a time where you were able to apply what you’ve learned at Lerner to your role?
Osinubi: I was able to apply principles from organizational behavior. We learned about different team structures like cross functional and self organizing teams. This allowed us to reference some of the agile principles that relate to our projects while working on key deliverables for our stakeholders. By taking details from these teams it made navigating, splitting up tasks, and specifically managing roles and responsibilities much more successful.
Lerner: Did you face any challenges during your internship? If so, what was the issue and how did you overcome it?
Osinubi: A perfect example of a challenge I faced at my internship was the issue with learning a new software. This became a problem when the team began increasing the level of difficulty in our projects and needed to use outside research and connect with other associates to gather feedback to find solutions to our issues. It enabled me to be self-sufficient and resourceful while paying attention to my environment.
Lerner: What are your career plans, and how do you think the internship will push you closer to your professional goals?
Osinubi: Working as an IT business analyst was a step in the right direction for my future career path. Professionally, I am a determined individual committed to continuous improvement. Leveraging my unique perspective and diverse experiences, I approach challenges with adaptability and strategic thinking. I thrive on solving problems diligently and excel in public speaking, communication, and critical analysis. I also possess strong technical proficiency in Microsoft 365 (M365) Apps, Python, and RStudio. I believe these skills only developed through my experience at my internship. I want to continue to network and gain experiences.