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.
Katie Redfearn, Class of 2026 marketing and finance double major with a minor in international business, spent her summer as a corporate summer analyst at JPMorgan Chase.
Lerner: How did you find out about this internship? Why did you pursue it?
Redfearn: I found out about this internship program from a friend I had in Lerner who was a year above me. She had completed the internship over the previous summer and encouraged me to apply.
Lerner: What was the most exciting task or project that you completed?
Redfearn: I had the opportunity to shadow and contribute to a Chase Auto digital out-of-home marketing campaign. It was a digital billboard advertisement that was displayed in Times Square in New York City!
Lerner: What did you learn from the internship that you think you wouldn’t have learned elsewhere?
Redfearn: I learned about how the Chase Auto Marketing team maintains successful partnerships with various auto brands and how they tailor language and images to the specific brand they are working with. It was interesting to see how each relationship was different, and how the team worked to showcase the unique aspects of each auto brand while also keeping Chase branding present throughout the advertisements.
Lerner: What is an example of a time where you were able to apply what you’ve learned at Lerner to your role?
Redfearn: Throughout my marketing courses at Lerner, I learned about different marketing channels and the ways that companies can reach their customers (email, newsletter, paid search, etc.). During my internship, I was able to shadow and see the process of creating and executing these advertisements, and distributing them through each channel. I was fortunate enough to assist on 10+ marketing campaigns that went through multiple channels.
Lerner: Did you face any challenges during your internship? If so, what was the issue and how did you overcome it?
Redfearn: There was a point in time when my manager was very busy as people were on vacation throughout the summer, so she was not always available to give me tasks or projects I could work on. In our weekly one-on-one meeting, I expressed to her that I had the capacity to take on more and was willing to take some work off of her plate. This allowed me to build trust with my manager, prove myself through more challenging projects, and help her out during a busy week.
Lerner: What are your career plans, and how do you think the internship will push you closer to your professional goals?
Redfearn: I am interested in international marketing and would love to work in the tourism or hospitality industry, managing campaigns and advertisements. This internship gave me the opportunity to work for a global firm and get hands-on marketing experience. While the work I was doing was not global, I was able to learn about marketing and advertising on a smaller scale. Now, I feel confident that I could take on larger campaigns and eventually work with brands that are overseas. JPMorgan Chase is a company with locations overseas, and I believe it is somewhere I could achieve my goal of working in international marketing.