Alumni Executive Council Endowment for Internships and Experiential Learning

This summer, I had the opportunity to intern with the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office in Watertown, New York. Throughout the summer, I gained firsthand exposure to the legal system and the day-to-day work of prosecutors. I assisted with case preparation, observed courtroom proceedings, and helped organize legal documents, all of which strengthened my attention to detail and ability to manage responsibilities in a fast-paced environment.

I started my internship with the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) in Toulouse knowing a few things about the upcoming experience. I knew that returning to Toulouse after studying abroad there in my senior year was going to be a great way to improve my French. Additionally, I was sure that my intercultural understanding skills would be significantly heightened. My time at CIEE Toulouse as an alumni college student intern proved to be so much more. 

As a Game Day Operations Intern for the Bourne Braves this summer, I significantly improved my teamwork and multitasking skills. Alongside my 11 coworkers, I was responsible for a wide range of tasks around the ballpark, including selling and managing merchandise inventory, preparing food for the thousands of fans who attended each game, and ensuring the field was thoroughly cleaned afterward.

Interacting with customers and assisting fans with their needs or concerns also helped me grow into a more confident and mature individual, while strengthening my problem-solving abilities.

At ACG Advocacy, I supported high-profile projects for clients including Toyota, CEF, and Centinel. My work included policy research, drafting briefing materials, and preparing strategic communications to inform legislative and regulatory initiatives. I assisted with outreach and coordinated meetings on Capitol Hill, gaining firsthand insight into the lobbying and advocacy process. These experiences helped me translate complex policy issues into actionable recommendations, track legislative developments, and support effective client engagement with policymakers. 

As an intern at the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut, I was fortunate to be mentored by leading Middle Eastern academics after completing my studies at SLU. The experience allowed me to bridge my academic background with regional expertise and gave me first-hand exposure to the world of policy research. During my time there, I authored an article titled “Don’t Underestimate the Armenians of Lebanon,” which highlights the political significance and resilience of Lebanon’s Armenian community, an often-overlooked yet integral part of the country’s sociopolitical fabric.

Over the summer of 2025, AJ DiFranco interned at Briar Bush Nature Center in Abington, Pennsylvania. Having worked as an environmental education volunteer at nature centers in the past, he set a goal to learn a few new practical, hands-on conservation skills that would directly benefit him as he entered the field of wildlife conservation. The financial award from SLU allowed him to comfortably accept a valuable unpaid position at Briar Bush and still focus entirely on his college education.

This past summer, I interned as a Marketing and Communications Intern with Heartfelt Dreams Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting patients with congenital heart defects and the medical professionals who care for them. In this role, I worked directly with the CEO and President to promote the organization’s programs and initiatives. My responsibilities included assisting with auction item promotion, data entry for patient assistance and scholarship applications, supporting sponsor outreach, and contributing to various administrative projects.

For the summer of 2024, I worked as an intern at the Bangladesh offices of the international organization Welthungerhilfe. My official contract began from June 1st till August 7th, though my last day of work at the office was on August 12th. 

During this internship, I applied my skills in organization, research, and multilingualism to effectively support my organizations in building project proposals and coordinating a multinational conference attended by colleagues from countries across South Asia. 

I built relationships with numerous retail stores in the areas of New Hampshire, Boston, and Martha's Vineyard. I worked towards opening an account with the store for Opolis and their products. 

Being passionate about the brand's mission and the products being sold, it was a great experience to be able to travel around and meet these stores owner's/buyers.

I greatly expanded my skills in communication, sales, relationship building, teamwork, and organization. 

In this internship, I aided public defenders by writing memos, case notes, and motions. Given the depth of each case, I had to thoroughly research and report each law, regulation, and act under the case's purview. After reviewing each client's background and alleged crimes, I helped the public defender decipher what a sentence may be, and how best to fight it. I also worked with staff attorneys to gain experience in family law and juvenile cases.

Through this internship, I aided the office of the U.S. Senate Majority Leader with administrative and legislative responsibilities. I also had the opportunity to engage in the policy process through attending briefings, hearings, and floor debates, drafting memos and constituent letters, and conducting policy research. Finally, I communicated daily with constituents nationwide through phone correspondence, escorts, and leading U.S. Capitol tours.

Green Mountain Farm-to-School (GMFTS) is a non-profit organization based in Newport, Vermont. They are founded on the mission to promote economic viability by integrating local food, schools, and community. GMFTS boasts three programs to carry out these missions: Farm-to-School, The Lunchbox, and Farm Direct. 

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During my internship, I had three main responsibilities:

This past summer Cordelia Keberle ‘24 interned at the Yale School of Medicine on a collaborative project between the Pediatric Genomic Discovery Program and the Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology at the Yale School of Medicine. The Khokha Laboratory researches genes developmental mechanisms implicated in congenital malformations.

During summer 2023 I had the opportunity to join Ridgetop Research, a boutique expert network firm, as a Summer Associate. In this role I was responsible for sourcing and recruiting leads across 20+ projects in different industries ranging between software development, social media management, semiconductor manufacturing, plastic surgery, railway maintenance, pharmaceuticals etc. I connected with and pitched our business invitation to high level executives in companies of interest by using LinkedIn Sales Navigator, ZoomInfo, Rocket Launch, as well as email and phone calls.

This summer I was a research intern at the Paleontological Research Institute (PRI) located in Ithaca, NY. During my time at the PRI, my main objective was to figure out the best way to sample gastropod shells from Long Island sound in a way that introduces as little bias as possible because accurately evaluating post-mortem alteration and taphonomic processes, such as bioerosion and encrustation, can allow for better understanding shell deposits' origin and formation.

I have completed my internship at The North Country Office of U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and I had an absolute blast! As an intern, I staffed and prepared various events in which the Senator attended, completed research and information gathering for the office's internal resources, and completed community outreach on the Senator's behalf. On top of that, I also spoke to the press as a Senate staffer prior to events with the Senator. As a result of this internship, I have sharpened my writing and networking skills, gained a deeper understanding of the inner workings of a U.S.

During my time interning at The House of Representatives, most of my work consisted of researching different polices and writing letters related to those policies, while at the same time answering phone calls from constituents of the Congressman regarding their specific issue, or passing a message along. Furthermore, I also attend briefings for specific staff members and wrote memos about the briefing to pass along to them.

During the my time these are some of the projects/assignments I worked on:

This summer, I served as a Financial Representative Intern at Northwestern Mutual, a Fortune 90 company that provides a wide range of financial services and strategies. As a Financial Representative Intern, one of my main responsibilities was running my own financial-advising practice, with the support of our team of experienced advisors. I was able to provide customized solutions for clients to reach their financial goals and objectives. Through strategic business networking, I was able to build an extensive professional network as well as my own clientele.

I had a great summer in NYC working for Magrino. This was a small firm making it extremely comfortable and easy to talk and learn from senior staff. Some of my tasks included: updating critical media lists with contacts (editors + influencers) spanning various categories such as travel, real estate, food, spirits, wine, and consumer. The other interns and I also familiarized ourselves with proper event planning, PR reach out, tracking clips and overall excitement, and how to manage accounts properly.

This summer I interned in the office of Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer in Washington, D.C. During my time in Washington, D.C., I was learning about the legislation process perhaps, the creation of bills, and how these bills become law. As a legislative intern, I also helped to assist constituents from New York State via phone and in-person meetings. Every day, I wrote memos about data from constituents' needs for the senator to take action, then I sent these memos to senior staff.

This summer, I had the opportunity to get a job with the help of St. Lawrence. I worked as a marketing manager for Lindsey Cassella and Nicolle Portilla. It was a great experience where I learned a lot about corporate life's internal operations and realized that I had marketing skills that I didn't know. RTS's mission as a company is to reduce waste by promoting avoiding landfills. RTS does this by hiring experts on waste and sustainability who direct clients and companies in the right direction to fill waste and sustainability issues.