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.
Sarah Cahill, Class of 2027 global enterprise management and marketing double major, spent her summer as a corporate communications intern at Sallie Mae.
Lerner: How did you find out about this internship? Why did you pursue it?
Cahill: I found out about my internship through Handshake. I specifically saw that they were looking for University of Delaware students. I read the job description and it sounded like exactly what I was looking for, so I applied!
Lerner: What was the most exciting task or project that you completed?
Cahill: During the summer, I got to visit our call center in New Castle, Delaware and speak to call center agents who interact with our customers every day. I got to hear more about the work they do and create content to highlight them for the rest of the company. From my day at the call center, I created a short interview style video featuring six agents, and the video was posted on our internal communications hub for the entire company to see.
Lerner: What did you learn from the internship that you think you would not have learned elsewhere?
Cahill: During my internship, I was given a lot of autonomy and trust within the organization, which I feel I might not have found elsewhere. The entire team trusted me to make my own decisions and be creative in my work, which I really appreciated. Having that level of independence allowed me to take ownership of my work, learn from my experiences and grow more confident in my abilities.
Lerner: What is an example of a time where you were able to apply what you’ve learned at Lerner to your role?
Cahill: One example of applying what I’ve learned at Lerner was through the communications and content work I did during my internship. My marketing and communications coursework taught me how important it is to understand your audience and tailor a message to effectively reach them. I was able to apply that when creating internal and external content, where I had to think about who I was communicating with, what would resonate with them and how to present information in an engaging way. My classes also gave me experience with storytelling, digital marketing and creating content for different platforms, which helped me feel more confident taking on those projects during my internship.
Lerner: Did you face any challenges during your internship? If so, what was the issue and ow did you overcome it?
Cahill: During my internship, I had to present my capstone presentation on all the projects I had worked on throughout the summer. I originally thought I was only going to present it to my team, who I was very comfortable around, but I actually had to present it in front of the entire legal team as well. This was extremely nerve-racking but with a lot of preparation and practice presentations with my team, I was able to go in to the presentation confident.
Lerner: What are your career plans, and how do you think the internship will push you closer to your career goals?
Cahill: My career goal is to work in a role that combines communications, marketing, creativity and relationship-building. I’m especially interested in corporate communications, social media, public relations and brand strategy because I enjoy finding ways to connect organizations with different audiences through meaningful and engaging content. This internship has pushed me closer to those goals by giving me hands-on experience in a professional communications environment. I’ve been able to work on internal and external content, storytelling, video editing and communications initiatives while learning from experienced professionals.