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.
Our “My Summer Internship” series highlights these unique experiences, showcasing how students translated classroom knowledge into real-world success.
Christopher Runde, Class of 2028, entrepreneurship major with a management information systems minor, spent his summer as a business operations intern at Jet Support Services Inc.
Lerner: How did you find out about this internship? Why did you pursue it?
Runde: I found out about this internship due to being student representation at the Horn Advisory Board Meeting. During lunch, I met with Isabella Rimton, previous Horn Alumni, and we discussed the summer internship possibility. She then introduced me to Neil Book, CEO of JSSI, and previous Lerner Alumni. Since I was little, I’ve always liked aviation. I’ve always had a flight radar out, and at one point, could cold start an Airbus A320 in a flight simulator. Talking to other Faculty and Staff at Horn Entrepreneurship solidified how transformative the internship would be for me, so I decided to take the leap and move to Chicago for the summer!
Lerner: What was the most exciting task or project that you completed?
Runde: My most exciting task was in Erlanger, Kentucky with the fellow JSSI interns. I had the opportunity to build a Warehouse Supply Management Webpage that helped track the inventory of goods and used data analytics to show when it would be necessary to order more inventory. I had a blast being able to get a project that meant so much to me, and showed real impact immediately.
Lerner: What did you learn from the internship that you think you wouldn’t have learned elsewhere?
Runde: One valuable thing I learned this summer from my internship at JSSI was how to work autonomously. My main project was an AI Context Repository, defining what the functions of Business Units were and helping AI gain context to what JSSI does daily. This would ultimately serve as the foundation for the systems built on top of it like AI Agents. The final idea was given to me at the beginning of the summer, and JSSI trusted me to work independently on the project with my own creative freedom. I had the chance to interview over 20 different business units, and meet spectacular people within them that provided insight on what they needed from AI and where it could provide the most impact.
Lerner: What is an example of a time where you were able to apply what you’ve learned at Lerner to your role?
Runde: Horn Entrepreneurship has not only provided me with the platform for networking, but they also have supplied me with the skills necessary to flourish in discomfort. Going into the summer, I was hesitant and nervous to live in a big city, and work with people I had never met. I was able to use the C.R.I.T method from the Siegfried Entrepreneurial Leadership Awards workshop with Geoff Woods to initiate some of my brainstorming with AI. After applying this method, I was able to set a path for success over the summer.
Lerner: What are your career plans, and how do you think the internship will push you closer to your professional goals?
Runde: In the future, I plan to stay around Aviation, and leverage my interests with consulting and helping others. To live a life as a values driven leader, this internship has helped me step out of my comfort zone and embrace uncertainty. Not only was I able to meet so many amazing people, I was able to practice real world applications of the entrepreneurial mindset to foster innovation and growth in a professional environment.