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Students gain competitive edge with real-world career experiences
By Katie Neitz
Gateway Career Center’s January externship program provided Lafayette students with real-world career exposure and experience over winter break. These valuable two- to five-day explorations enabled students across all majors to shadow professionals in a variety of industries, locations, and work and graduate school environments. It’s an opportunity for students to investigate a career path, build a professional network, and showcase their skills to potential internship hosts or employers.
The program’s success depends on the generosity of alumni, parents, and friends of the College who host the students and give them a taste of what day-to-day life is like in their particular field of work or study. This year, approximately 190 of them hosted 310 student participants. In addition, the program receives support from the Alumni Association Externship Fund. “During these experiences, students are immersed in the host’s daily activities, which allows them to gain a better understanding of a field, ‘test-drive’ the occupation, and evaluate whether or not this may be a potential career for them,” says Melissa Schultz , senior associate director of Gateway Career Center, who coordinates the externship program. “For our hosts, it can be a meaningful way to support a Lafayette student in a very personal way and leave a lasting imprint on their professional path.” (For more information about the College’s externship program, visit Gateway Career Center ). From construction sites to medical offices to courtrooms to sports arenas, students gained exposure to a variety of environments. Here’s a look at a few of their experiences.
David Buck ’86, an executive vice president with the Philadelphia Phillies, gave Matt Peters ’19, Kelsie McGlynn ’21, and Griffin Ernst ’21 a behind-the-scenes look at the operations of Citizens Bank Park. “We got the chance to learn the inner workings of a multi-billion-dollar sports franchise,” says Ernst, an economics major. “For someone passionate about business and sports, it was amazing to see them both come together.” Peters, a film & media studies and theater double major, adds: “I learned how every facet of a baseball team is connected. This experience opened my eyes to a new career possibility. I always wanted to work in film, but sports is another form of entertainment in which I could see myself thriving.” Biology major Quinn Lacy ’21 shadowed Laurie Samet ’79, a physical therapist in East Stroudsburg, Pa. “I learned about both the hands-on patient work as well as the paperwork and hours that go into having a private practice,” Lacy says. “The experience taught me some key aspects about patient care as well as the relationships that are built between the patient and physical therapist.” John Pierce '81 (far left) of Rockefeller Group hosted externs Chelsea Catlin '21, Kayla Magee '19, and Skye Liu '20. Students toured the newly renovated 1271 Avenue of the Americas in New York City. "I got to learn about the real estate development industry, which is really appealing to me," Catlin says. "I started looking at all the buildings in the city differently after finding out what goes into developing all of them." Danielle Kraidin ’21, who has a self-designed behavioral economics major, learned about fashion branding during her externship at the Philadelphia showroom of Commonwealth Proper, a menswear line founded by CEO Craig Schroeder '01. “This externship helped grow my understanding of how to run a business," Kraidin says. "I saw the process of developing a brand: brainstorming ideas, finding the right fabrics, designing, branding and marketing, and continuing to keep and grow the customer base along the way. It was really interesting to see the process up close.” Alex Karapetian ’04 (standing) hosted students at Acopian Power Supplies. Here, Bill Hoffman ’10 explains internal circuit functions to Zach Martin ’21, Jordyn Brosemer ’20, Sevag Mkhitarian ’20, Nicole Holzapfel ’21, and Lia Chrysanthopoulos ’21. “All of the engineers were very passionate about the product they were designing," says Chrysanthopoulos, an electrical and computer engineering major. "This externship helped me figure out that I need my passions to intersect with my career.” Sandra Manfreda ’21, an anthropology & sociology and psychology double major, shadowed Melissa Kastner Krublit ’11, a licensed social worker with Woodbridge Township Division of Multi-Service Programs on Aging. “I learned that social workers assist their clients with a lot of aspects of life, including financial support, health, and emotional care,” Manfreda says. “I learned that when working with a client, it’s important to be receptive of their nonverbal cues. The experience helped me decide that I want to go to graduate school.” Rebecca Winter ’13, manager of business development for AMC Networks and IFC Films (second from right) hosted Lindsey Holek ’19, Julia Horbacewicz ’21, and Ethan Barsh ’21 at the company’s New York City headquarters. “Prior to my externship, I didn’t know much about the film and media industry,” says Holek, an economics major. “It was really fascinating to see an approach on the business that was different from prior internships I have had, which were more financed-focused. Seeing how business plays into a creative industry was exciting. I also was able to make connections that could help guide me in my future career.” Julia Knowles ’21 shadowed Curt Allen ’79, vice president of Clark Construction. The mechanical engineering major spent three days at the construction site of University of Maryland Capital Region Medical Center. “I learned you have to be a people person in the construction industry," Knowles says. "Whether you are meeting with the owner of the building, the architect, the project managers, everyone is just as important to the final product. There are so many different jobs being done at once, and despite being in different trades, everyone relies on each other.” Evelyn Adams ’19 and Quinn Young ’21 externed with Roxanna Kobziar ’08 and Clare Stomber ’17 at Institute of International Education where they had the opportunity to tour the United Nations. “I learned about international nonprofits and what it’s like to work with sponsors and the state department,” says Adams, an international affairs and French double major. “I will look to apply for jobs within this company. I've always been interested in international education, but never knew it was a field I could pursue as a career until now.” Luisa Gunn ’21 externed with Rep. Paul Brodeur ’86 at the State House in Massachusetts, where she attended press conferences and participated in an informal sitting of the House of Representatives. “I was surprised to see what an intimate community the state house is and how little state legislatures interact with the federal government; it’s a whole other policy-making sphere,” says Gunn. “I really enjoyed reviewing issues that affect my home state and town. This experience will certainly help me decide if I want to work for the federal or state government. It was extremely encouraging and is helping me select internships for this summer that can help me achieve my career goals.” Julie Livingston P’19, president of WantLeverage Communications, hosted Caroline Phillips ’21, Jack Little ’21, and Katrina Ruggiero ’20 at her public relations and business development consulting firm in New York City. “We learned a lot about public relations and the skills that are necessary to succeed in that industry,” says Ruggiero, an economics and policy studies double major. “While I do not see myself pursuing a career in public relations, my externship host inspired me to find a career I love through her evident love of public relations.” Turner Construction has a national network of offices and an international presence. In addition to spending time in the company’s New York City headquarters, students had the opportunity to get behind-the-scenes insights about Lafayette's Rockwell Integrated Sciences Center. Host Bill Faust '02 arranged the visit, during which externs Zach Pitner '21 and Cayla Mandel '21 had the opportunity to interact with Leslie Weaver '17 and Jake McTighe '14. Sophia Gardinier ’21 and Sumaira Perez ’21 shadowed Whitney Gaydos ’96, lead physician assistant at Summit Medical Group in Berkeley Heights, N.J. “I got to experience different fields of medicine, including radiology, cardiology, and family medicine,” says Perez, a neuroscience major. “I learned that medicine is shifting toward a collaborative process, in which physician assistants, doctors, and nurses are working together in patient care. This experience helped shape my future career path. It helped me confirm that I like the concept of potentially working in health care.”
Ali Ehsan '20 and Ran Cao '19 participated in an externship at PerPay in Philadelphia, where there is a large contingent of Lafayette grads, including Rob King '17, Amanda Case '17, Sam Poritzky '17, and founder and CEO Chris DiMarco ’98. “This externship gave me a valuable opportunity to experience different aspects of a fast-growing FinTech company,” says Cao, a mathematics-economics major. “This experience made me more clear about what I want to do in data analysis for a startup company.” Ehsan, an economics major, adds: "Every single person at PerPay was gracious and kind to answer all of my questions.”
