1. Tell us about yourself. What is your major and class standing? Where is your internship located and how did you get it?

My name is Anna Whetstone. I am a current Senior Neuroscience major and Spanish minor. I completed a research internship this past summer at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, NY and had an amazing experience! I found this internship through the AAMC website where they listed internships by the state.

2. How did you feel on the first day? How did it go? Were your expectations met? Can you describe anything that surprised you?

At first I felt so nervous because I would be living in a new place for the entire summer and I don't really consider myself a city girl either. I also had only had brief experience working in a lab and was nervous they would expect me to know everything! I ended up loving my roommate so that helped, and everyone else in the program was so nice. My lab was understanding and taught me a lot to the point that within one or two weeks they trusted me to run experiments by myself. This internship went above and beyond my expectations and it was definitely the best summer I have had since I entered college. I also began to love the city and became a master of public transportation and I think it would be amazing to be able to live in NYC to either attend medical school or work in one of the many amazing research labs there.

3. Tell us about your work environment and supervisors. How many people do you work with? What is great about it and what isn’t?

The lab I worked with in total had 6 people which included the Principle Investigator who ran the lab, a grad student, a post doctoral student, and two MD/PHD program students. Everyone was so friendly and willing to help and answer any questions I had. I liked having the small group environment and getting to know everyone personally. It was also nice on a networking basis to be able to get to know the head of the lab so that I could request a letter of recommendation. Everyone’s schedules were also variable and as long as you got your work done you would come into lab at any time. The part that wasn't the best about the lab experience was needing to participate in weekly lab meetings where articles and current work was discussed. I was put on the spot on many occasions to answer questions way outside of my knowledge, but I guess in the end it was good practice for being in a real lab!

4. Tell us about your life outside of the internship. Are you living in a new location? Have you met new people?

While working in the lab, I was housed on the Albert Einstein College of Medicine campus in apartments rented out for MD and PhD students. Since I was part of a larger summer program, everyone was housed with roommates, and I ending up making great friends with people from all over the country that were there participating in the same program (50 people!). I still keep in contact with some of the people I met, and we plan on having a reunion possibly over winter break. The one part that worried me going into the internship was that I would be living in the Bronx in NY which doesn't have the best reputation. Albert Einstein is located in a nicer area of the Bronx however, and it was a great chance for me to get out of my comfort zone. I fell head over heels in love with New York City and even the Bronx for its unique atmosphere and world famous Italian food. I spent weekends (and even some weeknights) going into Manhattan to explore the city, go to museums, see free concerts, go shopping, and see shows on Broadway!

5. If you are earning credit for your internship, what types of assignments/projects are required by the College to earn credit?

I didn't receive any college credit for this internship but I did receive a stipend from the NIH (National Institute of Health) and Albert Einstein College of Medicine. I wasn't assigned any projects but the college but I have taken the opportunity to share and present my summer research at different conferences with other Moravian students.

6. What has been your most interesting assignment/task? What made it the most interesting?

The thing I found most interesting was being able to learn new lab techniques and be able to do an entire experiment myself. I had the newest laboratory equipment at my fingertips as well as experts in the field teaching me each step of the way.

7. How is your internship going? Are you enjoying the work that you are given? Are you encountering any difficulties?

My internship is now over, it was 8 and 1/2 weeks (from June-Aug 5). I loved the work I was given and I learned a ton. The only difficulties I experienced was not knowing enough background information on what I was researching, but everyone I worked with was so nice and willing to teach me.

8. What was the most difficult assignment/task/challenge that you were faced with? How did you deal with it? What did you learn from it?

One of the most difficult tasks I was faced with this summer was needing to create and present a formal presentation to my lab about the work I completed. I knew they all had much more experience than me, so I was afraid they would ask very difficult questions. To prepare, I practiced my presentation several times to myself and to my roommate. I also looked up a lot of background information to prepare for any question that might be thrown my way. I learned how to be able to present my search in an official way, as well as to answer difficult questions on my feet.

9. What are your thoughts about your internship, now that it is over? What did you learn? What would you have done differently?

Now that my internship is over I have a new respect for doing research and I can definitely see myself doing it in the future. I also am now in love with New York City and I want to move there after I graduate! I learned so much about the brain and nervous system due to the lab I was in, but I also learned so much about other researching going at the institution. There were 50 other people from all over the country in the program and I was able to meet and get close to so many of them and that in itself was a learning experience. I can't think of anything I would do differently with this internship because I was able to make great connections, meet great people, and explore the city while I wasn't in lab!

10. What advice would you give to future interns? How did your internship benefit you? What tips/suggestions do you have for future Moravian interns?

This internship not only benefited me by having the experience for my resume, but it taught me better communication skills and prepared me to live and work on my own. I would recommend future interns to totally embrace their internships and not just focus on the work but also to form relationships with others in the program. I would also recommend that they take a chance to explore the area they are in. For me, being in NYC allowed me to experience so many different cultures through art, entertainment, and food. My best advice/ tip is to have fun and don't be afraid to experience new things!

1. Tell us about yourself. What is your major and class standing? Where is your internship located and how did you get it?

My name is Taressa Diaz. I am a senior Sociology major and Business Management minor. I am currently an intern at PPL Corporation, a fortune 500 utility company located in Allentown, PA. I currently work in the Human Resources: Recruiting and Selection Department. I was also an intern at PPL in the Human Resources: College Relations Department in Fall of 2010. I have always known about PPL since I am from Allentown. I also have an aunt who has been employed with them for over ten years. I had known that they were a good employer, so I sought out their internship opportunities. I plan on working in Human Resources upon my graduation in May, so once I saw that they had internships in their HR department I made sure that I applied. After completing my internship in the fall, I was offered another internship position within their HR department. I started the new position in January and will be working there until graduation. Working at PPL has been a great experience, I have learned so much about myself as an aspiring professional and I have been able to enhance my leadership, team-building, and communication skills. I am looking forward to learning even more in my new department.

2. How did you feel on the first day? How did it go? Were your expectations met? Can you describe anything that surprised you?

I was very anxious on my first day. I had a professional job previously working at the local court house part time, but working in corporate america was a totally different feeling. I was unsure of what the culture was going to be like and what to expect from my supervisors and the other people within my department. In my head I had assumed that everyone would be very serious in personality and somewhat hard on me as an intern. However, it was quite the opposite. Everyone within my department was so outgoing and friendly. They all made me feel welcome and were so eager to help me with any questions. They really made me feel like a part of the team and that was a great relief for my first day jitters. It was a very professional environment and a comfortable place to work. I was surprised at how much fun they all had at work. Everyone had a never ending list of things to do and they would get it all done but still manage to find time to laugh and enjoy work. It was great to see and I hope that I can have that type of work environment when I graduate and begin my career.

3. Tell us about your work environment and supervisors. How many people do you work with? What is great about it and what isn’t?

My work environment was ideal to me. I had friendly co-workers who were eager to help me but willing to let me learn and do things on my own. My department was made up of nine people and had great team dynamics. I really felt like a part of the team. I was given meaningful work that was a great deal of responsibility but it felt great to be able to make a contribution to the department’s efforts. My supervisors were also great. They were very helpful and gave me great insight with their constructive feedback and taught me how I can improve myself as an aspiring professional.     

4. Tell us about your life outside of the internship. Are you living in a new location? Have you met new people?

Both of my internships have taken place during the school year so I am not living at a new location. My internship is located in Allentown, PA so it is a short drive from the college. During my internship last semester as well as my internship this semester, I have met many people within the organization and have had a chance to expand my 'network' as well as develop professional relationships with various employees within the Human Resources Department. I also have had a chance to build relationships with other interns through the networking events that PPL offers for the Cooperative Associates. At the events, we are able to meet and network with each other as well as meet with representatives from different areas within the organization.

5. If you are earning credit for your internship, what types of assignments/projects are required by the College to earn credit?

I earned credit for my internship that I had in the fall. I was able to earn 2 credits for this internship rather than just one because I was working 30 hours per week. To get this to count for credit, I was required to select a professor to advise me throughout my internship experience. I chose Dr. Katie Desiderio. I met with her bi-weekly and we discussed the projects and assignments that I have been working on for my internship. I was also required to submit one journal entry to her each week describing my experiences that week. For my final project, I created a 20 minute PowerPoint presentation describing my experience at PPL. I presented this to my department at work as well as Dr. Desiderio. For my final grade, I was graded on my presentation, my involvement in the bi-weekly meetings, my completion of assignments, as well as the feedback that Dr. Desiderio gathered from my supervisors regarding my performance. For my internship this semester, I was unable to get it to count for class credit because it was within the same department (Human Resources) at the same corporation.

6. What has been your most interesting assignment/task? What made it the most interesting?

My most interesting assignment that I have had in my current internship would be assisting with the Human Resources metrics project. I found that the most interesting because it really gave me a deeper insight into all of the planning that goes into all business functions within HR. I was able to assist in researching common metrics that various companies use. This was able to assist us in benchmarking common practices of other organizations. Although I did not have a large role in the project because I am still learning the role of metrics in corporations it was a great learning experience for me. I also enjoy participating in interviews. Being able to be a part of that aspect of the hiring process is not only beneficial from a professional standpoint, but also from a personal standpoint. I am able to learn what hiring managers like and dislike in an interview and what responses are seen as good answers or bad answers.

7. How is your internship going? Are you enjoying the work that you are given? Are you encountering any difficulties?

My internship is going great. I absolutely enjoy the work that I am given. I really feel like a part of the team and I am given meaningful assignments that add value to the team. I really enjoy that aspect of the position. The only difficulties that I can say I am experiencing is just being confident in the work that I do. Being given meaningful work as an intern is very intimidating so it is difficult to be confident in the work I produce. However, my team gives me valuable feedback that helps ease my mind. I really enjoy it.

8. What was the most difficult assignment/task/challenge that you were faced with? How did you deal with it? What did you learn from it?

I cannot pinpoint a particular assignment that was challenging for me, but I can say that my day-to-day tasks were difficult for me to catch onto at first. One of my main job duties is to search for candidates for our full-time positions. I work together with the recruiters and hiring managers to find out key characteristics that they are looking for in a candidate to fill that position and then I use various job boards and niche websites to source for candidates. When I first started this internship, I was very unsure of myself while sourcing. I knew what I was looking for, but I didn't know where to draw the line. It was rare that I found a candidate with all characteristics and skills we were looking for, so I was unsure of when to decide to forward a candidate along or not. I also had other concerns such as, when do I stop forwarding candidates, what is a good amount to forward to the hiring manager, etc. The way I dealt with this was I created a list of questions and sat down with a recruiter on my team so that I could get their input and learn from them. I also looked at resumes that some of our recruiters had forwarded along for certain positions so that I could see what they thought was a 'good resume'. I was able to learn that it always helps to ask questions and I also learned to never doubt myself because once I received the answers to my questions I saw that I was already on the right track.

9. What are your thoughts about your internship, now that it is over? What did you learn? What would you have done differently?

I absolutely loved my internship. It was such a great experience. I have grown so much professionally. It has really taught me a lot about the corporate world and it has helped me see where I fit in that world. It has also confirmed to me that I definitely want to pursue a career in Human Resources, particularly in recruitment. The only thing that I would have done differently is take advantage of all the opportunities that were available to me. I wish I would have requested to sit in on more meetings and be involved in more projects. I have been involved in a lot in my department but I am always looking to learn more.

10. What advice would you give to future interns? How did your internship benefit you? What tips/suggestions do you have for future Moravian interns?

My advice to future interns would be to take it seriously. All companies have a different workload for their interns, but whether you’re working on projects or just filling envelopes, take advantage of the opportunity to learn more about the company, industry, and whether or not you feel that it is a good fit for you. Don't let any day feel wasted. I would also say make sure to network. This is your opportunity to connect with professionals in the industry. Get to know them and let them get to know you. You can learn a lot from them and they can also serve as a reference for you in your job search as well. My internship benefitted me by confirming my career path as well as developing me as an aspiring professional. I would encourage all Moravian students to contact the career center and see what internship opportunities are available. At work this week, I read a research brief that was released in September 2010 from National Association of Colleges and Employers that stated that candidates with internship experience were considerably more likely to receive a job offer than those who did not have any experiential education in their background. They also stated that graduates with internships also tended to receive a significantly higher starting salary. Those statistics alone should be enough to motivate students. Pursuing an internship is not only beneficial in college but for the long run.