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.
Eve Chapman, class of 2026 marketing and operations management double major, with minors in art and fashion management, spent her summer as a marketing intern with VIP Structures Inc. in Syracuse, N.Y.
Lerner: How did you find out about this internship? Why did you pursue it?
Chapman: I had always been aware of VIP Structures as it is a well-known company in Syracuse and my mom in her job had worked with VIP on past projects. That being said, I knew that VIP has a developed marketing team that will often take on summer interns. I pursued the internship and ended up connecting with the company’s people operations manager and was able to apply for the internship and successfully go through the interview process.
Lerner: What was the most exciting task or project that you completed?
Chapman: Over the summer I was able to work on a video project promoting the company’s newly finished historical redevelopment project. I began by exploring the building to figure out various filming locations; from here I had to test all of the necessary equipment for filming. I then filmed and interviewed the company’s former CEO in order to get his perspective on the building’s history. I then worked to edit and compile the video and went through several rounds of edits and revisions with the marketing team before the video went live on VIP’s socials. It was so exciting to see my final product posted on the company’s pages!
Lerner: What did you learn from the internship that you think you would not have learned elsewhere?
Chapman: This internship taught me how to better network myself and build relationships within my team and company as a whole. In addition, as VIP is a design-build and commercial construction firm, I was able to learn some of the terminology and strategies used within development that I would not have learned elsewhere.
Lerner: What is an example of a time where you were able to apply what you’ve learned at Lerner to your role?
Chapman: Lerner has taught me how to manage my time in order to be as efficient as possible. This aided me in balancing all of my various tasks and projects throughout the summer. In addition, my classes at Lerner have taught me how to effectively market myself; this made networking within the company significantly easier and more successful!
Lerner: Did you face any challenges during your internship? If so, what was the issue and how did you overcome it?
Chapman: During my video project, I experienced some technological issues. I was able to overcome this by communicating with the marketing team the present issues, allowing us to collaborate and brainstorm ideas on how to solve the problems. In the end, we were able to fix or replace the affected technology!
Lerner: What are your career plans, and how do you think the internship will push you closer to your professional goals?
Chapman: I would like to continue working in marketing moving forward. I also have an interest in being a buyer for a company. This internship greatly helped to teach me the ins and outs of a professional position, as well as the basics of marketing in the real world. I am so thankful for this internship for helping to position me for future success!