This page is no longer being updated and remains online for informational and historical purposes only. The information is accurate as of the last page update.
For questions about page contents, contact the Communications Division.
By Stephen Wilson
In years past, summer for an undergraduate might have consisted of menial work, family road trips, or hometown humdrums. But thanks to their partnership with Gateway Career Center, Lafayette students dove into internship experiences in industries and locations around the country. They gained hands-on experience, expanded their networks, and grew both personally and professionally. They also had a blast. Here are a few highlights:
With the CFO for Alphabet: Chirag Nijjer ’20
Major: Economics
Hometown: New York City
Company: Google
Location: Ann Arbor, Mich.
Role: I am enrolled in the Google BOLD Internship program and am working in their ads division. When a business with a certain budget advertises with us, it is paired with an account manager who creates strategies to best fulfill the goals. The team I’m on specializes in providing support to these account managers. While that is my core role, Google has something called 20% Projects where employees are expected to spend 20% of their time on other projects. I’m involved with two such projects where I’m specifically focused on learning how to facilitate innovation training modules.
Hanging with the Boss: Danielle Kraidin ’21
Major: Behavioral economics (self-designed)
Hometown: Millstone Township, N.J.
Company: Commonwealth Proper
Location: Philadelphia, Pa.
Role: Craig Arthur von Schroeder ’01 is the founder of Commonwealth Proper, a luxury custom clothier brand. I assist the employees when with clients—getting to know them, taking measurements, understanding their tastes, and learning what their custom-made clothes are for. When there are no clients, I create ideas for newsletters, track potential business partners, search for new clients, and learn as much as I can about a fashion startup, as one day I want to become an entrepreneur and create a fashion startup of my own.
Old Towne Crew: Ritika Chowdhury ’22
Majors: Economics and art
Hometown: Kolkata, India
Company: Easton Chamber of Commerce
Location: Easton, Pa.
Role: I have had an incredible experience so far as a marketing and event management intern. I have grown as a person, and managing events has helped me build my confidence so much. I have become much more confident in creating fliers and advertising events using design tools. One event, where we are all wearing the pink shirts, is a big local festival called the Ole Towne Festival. Held for the past 32 years, it is a two-day event that we had been preparing and advertising for the past two months.
Say Client Service, in French: Scott Kelly ’20
Major: Economics
Hometown: Scarsdale, N.Y.
Company: Société Générale (SocGen)
Location: Chicago, Ill.
Role: I am a summer analyst for a French multinational investment bank and financial services company working in the Client Lifecycle Intelligence and Care department where I streamline the client experience by collaborating with operations, IT, and the business lines. I’ve had a great experience as I’ve been given the unique opportunity to be in a client-facing role. Specifically, I am on the Client Services desk, where we interact with the clients to solve problems and fix any issue that may come up. I also have gained exposure to behind-the-scenes action.
Meeting a Muppet: Olivia Resnick ’20
Majors: Government & law and psychology
Hometown: Springfield, N.J.
Company: Sesame Workshop
Location: New York City
Role: I work in the Office of the President as a social impact and philanthropy intern. Here I am standing with one of the Sesame Street signs in the building. It was the first thing I saw when I walked into intern orientation, and it finally sank in that I was really working for the nonprofit behind the amazing children’s show.
In the Shadow of the Empire State Building: Allana Doyle ’20
Majors: Mechanical engineering and environmental science
Hometown: New York City
Company: Skanska
Location: New York City
Role: I am working at a construction development company as an engineering intern on the mechanical team at the new Penn Station project site, Moynihan Train Hall, in Manhattan. I help with coordination among the different contractors, update matrices as plans change, consolidate 3D models to determine if there are any conflicts, and assist with any other projects that are needed.
Paving the Way: Liszeth Rodriguez-Meza ’21
Major: Civil and environmental engineering with French minor
Hometown: Red Bank, N.J.
Company: Traffic Planning and Design Inc.
Location: Bethlehem, Pa.
Role: I am setting up a pavement marking and signing plan that includes both proposed and existing conditions of the construction site. I am also constructing a sign tabulation chart for all the signs located along the state route. This plan along with other plans I am working on will be reviewed by my supervisor and the project manager before they get submitted to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.
Surveying the Scene: Chelsea Catlin ’21
Majors: Engineering studies and economics
Hometown: Madison, N.J.
Company: Country Classics
Location: Hillsborough, N.J.
Role: I work for a small real estate development firm. There is no typical day, so I have gotten to shadow everyone. I’ve done many competition visits for the company’s upcoming developments where I have to research competitors, complete site visits, and then present my findings. I’ve also assisted the marketing coordinator by putting together marketing materials. I’ve sat in on design studio meetings with new homeowners to see what the process of custom homebuilding is like. Lastly, I’ve been able to shadow people in construction. One day I had the chance to help a surveyor from an engineering partner they work with. I assisted with a small stakeout of a detached garage using a total station, an electronic and optical instrument used in surveying. Then I went to a construction site for an assisted-living facility to observe drainage basins and grading operations.
Hola Costa Rica: Josie Brodfuehrer ’21
Majors: Government & law and international affairs
Hometown: Lexington Park, Md.
Company: U.S. Department of State
Location: Costa Rica
Role: I’ve had an amazing experience as the financial management intern under the leadership of U.S. Ambassador Sharon Day. It has been incredible to have the chance to meet and work for such an amazing and empowering woman! I have certainly learned a great deal at the embassy from every section. I have worked a lot with the International Narcotics and Law Enforcement section, where I have had the opportunity to study its groundbreaking security platform called Sembremos Seguridad. I also had the chance to go to cooperative events on the topic of urban development with participants from NGOs, local universities, and from representatives of Harvard.
Past Presidents and Future Endeavors: Macquarie Simon ’21
Majors: Environmental studies and social justice
Hometown: Mill Valley, Calif.
Company: Woman’s National Democratic Club Educational Foundation
Location: Washington, D.C.
Role: I am interning for the Woman’s National Democratic Club’s Educational Foundation and attending the ACLU Advanced Advocacy Institute. I am working to build upon their endeavors including a celebration of the women’s suffrage centennial, an oral history project of D.C. women, and a youth voter project that seeks to ameliorate the current lag in youth voter turnout.
Rocking it Close to Campus: Lovejoy Afoakwa ’20
Majors: Mechanical engineering
Hometown: Ghana, West Africa
Company: Turner Construction
Location: Rockwell Integrated Sciences Center
Role: I do a lot of punch-listing—I walk around the building and make notes about what needs to be worked on. We have software that we use. I take a picture using the software and enter notes about what needs to be done. It then gets assigned to a subcontractor who fixes it. Once it’s complete, I close out the job. If more needs to be done, I revisit it with the subcontractor. I’m learning how important it is to have good relationships with the subcontractors. Some of them have been working in the construction industry for 30 years, so it’s really nice to be able to learn from them as well.
Going to Great Heights: Sarah Hawtof ’21
Major: Civil engineering
Hometown: Lewes, Del.
Company: Delaware Department of Transportation
Location:
Role: Of the things I did this summer, one was tour/climb the Indian River Inlet Bridge to learn about its history, structural elements, and maintenance operations that keep the bridge open and safe.
Supreme Court Sightseeing: Rustin Armknecht ’20
Majors: International affairs and government & law
Hometown: Salt Lake City, Utah
Company: United States Attorney’s Office
Location: Washington, D.C.
Role: This summer I interned in the Sex Offense and Domestic Violence unit, working with the attorneys, victims, witnesses, and local law enforcement on a variety of assignments, including witness interviews, legal writing and research, and evidence collection. This experience gave me the opportunity to complete constructive work that aids the local community and helped me become more confident with any workplace task.