Each summer, students from the University of Delaware’s Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics gain valuable professional-level exposure through internships. This year, young scholars were able to traverse the complications of the COVID-19 pandemic by pursuing an array of internships, externships and other professional development opportunities. Each profile of this series will detail a Lerner student’s experiences working on business-oriented projects.
Joe Mongillo, Class of 2022 marketing major, spent his summer interning as a solutions specialist at W.R Berkley Corporation.
Lerner: How did you find out about this internship? Why did you choose it?
Mongillo: I found out about this internship through LinkedIn. I chose it because I wanted to gain real-world experience in a corporate setting while also broadening my professional network.
Lerner: Did the coronavirus pandemic impact your internship search and working experience? If so, how?
Mongillo: COVID-19 did have an impact on ultimately where I chose to intern from the handful I applied to. I really wanted an in-person internship opportunity to create meaningful connections with industry-leading professionals.
Lerner: What did you learn from this internship that you think you would not have learned elsewhere?
Mongillo: Real working world experience. My direct supervisors made it a priority to expose not only me but, also the other interns, to every resource they had at their disposal to benefit our future endeavors. Throughout the course of the summer, Berkley helped me develop and refine my skills by embracing mistakes made and encouraging me to ask questions. It also allowed me to receive constructive criticism and feedback from others who are established in the field and offer a unique learning opportunity that I may not have again as a young working adult.
Lerner: What is the most exciting task or project that you have done or are currently doing in your role?
Mongillo: Throughout the summer, I had several established individuals in their respected fields submit lines of business to be generated into applications.
Lerner: What is an example of a time where you were able to apply what you’ve learned at Lerner to your role?
Mongillo: Over my time this summer with Berkley, I was able to implement many of the technical and analytical skills that I acquired through previous classes taken to my current work or projects.
Lerner: How do you think this internship will aid you with your professional goals?
Mongillo: By enabling me to gain access to so many great people in the industry and serve as a learning experience for my job post-graduation.
Lerner: What are your plans or next steps in your career once your internship is over?
Mongillo: To finish my last two semesters of school and receive my B.S in marketing.