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.
Madelynn Murray, class of 2025 operations management and marketing dual major with an entrepreneurship minor, spent her summer as a Chase leadership development program summer analyst at JPMorgan Chase.
Lerner: How did you find out about this internship? Why did you pursue it?
Murray: I discovered this internship by applying directly through the JPMorgan Chase website. Early in my search, my former boss, who I also consider a mentor, advised me to create a list of companies I was interested in and to monitor when they posted summer internship opportunities. I have always been confident in my desire to work at JPMorgan Chase, influenced by the positive experiences shared by friends and the company’s reputation as one of the world’s leading banks.
Lerner: What was the most exciting task or project that you completed?
Murray: During the summer, I was placed on the Branded Card Acquisitions Risk Management team. The most exciting project I worked on was the affiliate dashboard. Each month, my team was responsible for analyzing data for all of Chase’s affiliate credit cards. For the month of July, I was given full responsibility for reviewing the data, creating visualizations in Tableau, and developing a PowerPoint presentation to highlight key figures for the team. Being entrusted with this project and working independently was a rewarding experience that made me feel like a valuable contributor with something meaningful to offer.
Lerner: What did you learn from the internship that you think you would not have learned elsewhere?
Murray: The most valuable lesson I gained, which I might not have learned elsewhere, is that it is okay not to always be the most knowledgeable person in the room. As an intern, the best approach is to maintain an open mind and a willingness to learn. As long as you remain teachable and contribute meaningfully to the team, you are certainly doing enough.
Lerner: What is an example of a time where you were able to apply what you’ve learned at Lerner to your role?
Murray: Given that my internship was primarily focused on data analytics, the knowledge I gained from MISY 261 proved to be invaluable. I regularly used Tableau to complete various tasks assigned by my manager, and without the foundation from MISY 261, I wouldn’t have been as effective in the role.
Lerner: Did you face any challenges during your internship? If so, what was the issue and how did you overcome it?
Murray: One of the biggest challenges I faced during my internship was learning to navigate and extract information using SQL, a computer programming language with which I had no prior experience. From the start, it was a significant hurdle when I was assigned tasks requiring SQL. Fortunately, my manager paired me with a team member to teach me the basics, while also giving me the autonomy to figure things out on my own. Learning SQL became one of the most valuable aspects of my internship, as it equipped me with a new skill I can apply in future work.
Having the freedom to explore and occasionally make mistakes gave me the opportunity to learn and grow. This experience reinforced that, no matter the challenge, with perseverance and determination, I can overcome it.
Lerner: What are your career plans, and how do you think the internship will push you closer to your professional goals?
Murray: After graduation, I will be returning to JPMorgan Chase and will be a part of the full-time rotational Chase Leadership Development Program. Working at JPMorgan Chase immediately following graduation is the perfect launchpad to set me in the right direction to achieve my career goals. I am so excited to work for a company that truly promotes internal growth because that is of number one importance to me in terms of a company to work for.