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Meet #CrusaderIntern Karina Ramos ’20, Lab Technician Intern

Name: Karina Ramos

Class Year: 2020

Internship position: Intern- Lab Technician

Employer: Proveris Scientific Corporation

1. Tell us about where you interned over the summer and the kind of work you are doing.

This summer at Proveris, my main duties included running experiments for the Senior Applications Chemist and Senior Field Scientist in the chemistry laboratory. Specifically, the company’s focus is in advancing the aerosol and nasal spray technology industry, so the majority of my time was collecting data off the instrumentation and analyzing it using custom software designed by the company. Not only was I working within my immediate team, but also spent much of my time communicating and deliberating with the engineering, sales, and manufacturing teams. These wide range of duties allowed me to have a holistic understanding of the inner workings that is the pharmaceutical industry.

2. Give us an example of how you have applied your academic learnings to your internship?

Just before I began my internship, I took Analytical and Instrumental Chemistry. In this course we learned how to read scholarly journals by meticulously studying currently published works and modeling common practices in our own papers. This skill of reading with intention allowed me to become more efficient and confident in my ability to read papers that at first seem too complex to understand. Some of my duties this summer included doing research on past literature in the field to further develop methods for more efficient data collection. My confidence in reading peer reviewed journals and gathering a consensus of the paper’s findings made me a valuable asset in the method development step in conducting experiments.

3. What has surprised you about being an intern?

I have been pleasantly surprised at how eager my department was to allow me to troubleshoot issues in the instrumentation and software on my own. Also, within the first couple of weeks working full-time, I was grateful enough to receive some projects that I could effectively work on myself. Working for a smaller company gave me more autonomy in day to day tasks that lead to working on customer projects independently and with confidence from my supervisors. I am thankful to be given so much responsibility at the intern level.

4. How did this experience influence or connect to your future career plans / goals?

This experience allowed me to expand my network not only into the Holy Cross alumni network, but also into the pharma industry. Working in industry instead of research (which is what I have only been exposed to) has given a good insight to what a routine looks like working for pharma.

5. Any internship advice to pass on to other Holy Cross students?

Network with alumni at the beginning of your junior year so they keep you in mind when applications come out in the spring! Also apply to a variety of different fields in different locations around the country.
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Meet CrusaderIntern Paul Endres ’18

Meet Paul Endres ’18 Clinical Observer/Data Researcher at Winthrop University Hospital

Tell us about where you are interning and the kind of work you are doing.

I am interning at Winthrop University Hospital, doing something different every day! Part of the week I am in New York City at the NYCyberknife, Winthrop’s specialized Radiation Oncology office. There I get to observe the doctors, nurses, and radiation techs in the daily running of the office.

Additionally, I am am working on a research project! I am studying the effect different dosages of radiation to the prostate and surrounding organs have on short and long term quality of life. The days I am not in New York City, I am out in the main hospital in Mineola, Long Island. There, I get to shadow different medical professionals in different departments. Some departments I have been in include Emergency Medicine, Interventional Radiation, Internal Medicine, General Surgery, Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Pediatrics, and the Intensive Care Unit! Every day is something new and exciting!

Give us an example of how you have applied your academic learnings to your internship?

I apply my academic skills every day at my internship. I often times draw on my studies of biology and chemistry to be able to talk with medical professionals regarding the cases I am observing. Additionally, I use my scientific research and data skills in my research of radiation oncology.

What has surprised you about being an intern?

I am most surprised by how helpful people have been if I just ask. I often times go into different departments, and am connected with one person there through my boss. However, by the end of one day, most people in the department know who I am and go out of their way to make sure that I am learning and enjoying my time.

How did this experience influence or connect to your future career plans / goals?

Through my time at Winthrop University Hospital, I have been able to experience a great sampling of the medical field. Before this experience, I did not know anything about some of the fields, such as emergency medicine and interventional radiology. Additionally, I thought I would never enjoy surgery, until this position placed me in the operating room and I was able to observe amazing procedures such as open heart surgery or a robotic hysterectomy. This experience has opened my eyes to the broad scope of medicine, and has made me realize how many options there are in the medical field!

Any internship advice to pass on to other Holy Cross students?

Go with the flow! Not every internship is perfect. Sometimes schedules change or you have to go somewhere you may not want to. Embrace these experiences! It is ok to be nervous, but do not let your fear keep you from trying something new. You would be surprised how much you may enjoy something you think you will hate!
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Meet Catherine Griffin’18, Marketing Intern at Fidelity Investments

Read about Catherine Griffin’s experience as a Fidelity Institutional Asset Management (FIAM) Marketing Intern this summer.

Tell us about where you are interning and the kind of work you are doing.

This summer I am interning at Fidelity Investments in Boston. Fidelity is a well known financial services company that aims to help clients meet their financial goals. As an intern in the broader department of Asset Management, I am working closely with the portfolio managing team, in addition to the FIAM marketing team, to assist in the development and execution of marketing materials with a specific focus on managed account solutions within the Asset Allocation business. The awesome part about my job is that I get to do real work, not just intern work. I am assigned real projects that help the team and the company, and they help me learn the business. It is a win win!

Give us an example of how you have applied your academic learnings to your internship?

As a history major, I am taught how to read, write and think critically. I think that my liberal arts education, while I will say I am definitely the odd one out in my group of asset management interns, has been a valuable asset to my performance. Every time I am assigned a task, I am able to approach it with critical eye and I always, always ask questions. I can think outside the box for solutions and I can perform my projects efficiently.

What has surprised you about being an intern?

What has surprised me most is how friendly everyone at Fidelity is and how they all want you to succeed. Networking has been so easy because everyone is always happy to sit down with you for coffee. I am also surprised at the value my work has. My team has assigned me real projects, some that will eventually be client facing, so I am challenged to come up with innovative ideas and perform my job well. I am really lucky to have the opportunity for the summer and I am looking forward to seeing what the rest of my internship has in store!

How did this experience influence or connect to your future career plans / goals?

This experience has influenced my career goals tremendously. I have learned a lot about myself as an employee and have been developing so many valuable skills. I have also learned what it is like to work for a big company, and that I really enjoy working for Fidelity. My mentors have given me a lot of great career advice and I am currently exploring different roles and teams within Fidelity like consulting or business strategy.

I definitely think I have a better idea of what I like and don’t like, my strengths and weaknesses and my passions. I like working for an organization that cares deeply about its employees and its clients. I love leaving everyday feeling like I have learned something new. I hope to continue my career in business in something that keeps me excited and working hard day in and day out.

Any internship advice to pass on to other Holy Cross students?

First, Network, network, network! I know it can be intimidating, but especially when you have an internship, you already have an “in” in that company, take advantage of it!

Second, take the time you have to learn as much about the company as you can, meet with as many people as are willing, and go above and beyond in your assignments. Work ethic and attitude will get you a long way in the work force, or so I have been told.

And finally, use your time wisely. The last thing you want is to walk away from an opportunity feeling like you didn’t take full advantage of it. Also leverage the fact that you go to Holy Cross. I have had some of the most meaningful conversations and have made great connections with people who have gone to HC. I’ve found that they love to hear about your experience, and more importantly, they want to help you succeed!
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Meet CrusaderIntern Gabriel Castagna’18

Meet Gabriel Castagna’18 Editorial Intern at SourceMedia.

Tell us about where you are interning and the kind of work you are doing.

My internship is at a newsroom in Downtown Manhattan. SourceMedia has multiple different publications, all with a focus on financial news in various categories. The publication I primarily work with is called Asset Securitization Report, and as the name suggests it focuses on news regarding new securitization deals and regulation in securitization markets.

I typically start the day by logging on to the company’s Twitter account (follow @_ASReport !) and tweet out links and headlines to ASR’s latest stories. I then spend a few minutes scrolling through the latest #securitization hashtagged tweets to see if there is anything worthy of a retweet that may be of interest to our readers. Next, I convene with my supervisor to see if anything newsworthy is happening in the securitization market and come up with a topic to research and write about. I spend the rest of the day researching, writing, and revising until I have a fully-edited story ready for publication.

Give us an example of how you have applied your academic learnings to your internship?

My academic learnings have been vital to my internship experience. As a Political Science major, much of my work involves researching and dissecting articles for information that may be relevant to whatever topic I am assigned to write about. That is what I spend the majority of my day doing here at SourceMedia. My Holy Cross experience has taught me how to research effectively and write professionally in a timely manner.

What has surprised you about being an intern?

The most surprising thing about being an intern in my experience is that nobody sees you as subordinate or less valuable to the company because of your intern status. At least in my case, I feel like the full-time employees here view me in the same regard. Expectations are just as high for you as they are for full-time employees; nobody will cut you breaks or expect any less of you because you’re an intern.

How did this experience influence or connect to your future career plans / goals?

I hope to someday work in financial services, though I’m not sure what in particular I’d like to pursue. The finance knowledge I am acquiring will be extremely useful in my future career plans; I’ve learned more about financial markets in the past three weeks alone than I have my entire life.

I never considered working in journalism before, but given how much I am enjoying my internship I could see myself pursuing that particular career path. Personally, I think it’s so cool that people I’ll never meet read my articles every day, and pay to do so. There’s something rewarding about that, and it actually motivates me to do my work to the best of my ability knowing that people other than my professors genuinely care about what I write.

Any internship advice to pass on to other Holy Cross students?

Remember why you’re interning. It’s nice to have a summer job and make some extra cash before heading back to school, but that isn’t why you’re interning. You’re there to learn, to see, and to network. Take advantage of the opportunity you have before you; a lot of students would love to be in your shoes. Meet everyone you can, because you’ll never know what you might learn from them or who may offer you a job sometime down the road. Lastly, work hard. Always. There are tons of other kids just as qualified as you for your position, but they chose you. If you’re going to slack, your company will have no problem trading you for one of the other thousands of kids raring to prove themselves.
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Meet CrusaderIntern Taylor Moss’18

Meet Taylor Moss’18 Summer Clerk at Sullivan Papain Block McGrath & Cannavo P.C.

Tell us about where you are interning and the kind of work you are doing.

I am interning at a law firm in NYC. I specifically work with cases for the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund (VCF), which is a government program that provides financial aid to those with illnesses and injuries from being around the World Trade Center after 9/11. This cause is close to my heart, as my dad was a first responder on 9/11. I admire his firehouse so much that I wear the number 74 when I play softball here at Holy Cross after his company, Engine 74. My role in the office mainly consists of calling and interviewing witnesses to prove our clients’ presence at the WTC site. Then, I write the affidavits for the witnesses to sign and give to the VCF. I love being able to have hands-on work that I can directly see the impact of. One of the most surprising aspects is that the injuries and illnesses are still happening every day, the effects of 9/11 didn’t just end on that day for those who were in the area, even if they were there months after the toxins still lingered. Working for something that I feel is so important and that I have a personal connection to has been really fulfilling.

Give us an example of how you have applied your academic learnings to your internship?

As an English major, I have done a lot of writing, which has definitely come in handy while writing the affidavits. My Creative Writing concentration taught me how to write towards a target audience. I’m really grateful that I know how to write clearly, succinctly and objectively because I’ve practiced it. There is also a lot of reading at the firm, whether it is going through cases or medical histories or reading the policies of the VCF in general. English has really prepared me to read analytically and quickly. I can now summarize large texts efficiently. Also, the legal jargon is nothing compared to when I read Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales for the first time.

What has surprised you about being an intern?

I was most surprised at the responsibility I was given. Being able to write actual court documents is not something I ever pictured myself doing! It is nice to know that I am trusted to work directly with clients and witnesses.

How did this experience influence or connect to your future career plans / goals?

Last summer, I had a Trade Marketing internship at Scholastic, Inc. and as much as I loved it, I wanted to try another field before committing to marketing because I thought I wouldn’t really know if I liked it until I had something to compare it to. After this summer, I am more certain that I would like to go into marketing rather than law, but my time at the firm has taught me so much. For example, everyone has different roles that intertwine to help each client and seeing how that assembly line works has shown me just how important teamwork is in the workplace. I think my experience really helped my communication skills. We are in the age that I almost never had to talk to people on the phone, now I do it every day. It’s different than texting or being in person, but I’ve really started to learn the ins and outs of it. After each task I complete, I get more and more confident in my abilities and can feel myself growing. Most importantly, this summer I learned how important it is to work for a place or cause that means a lot to you. Working with VCF clients was always rewarding, no matter how difficult the task was. I’d like to continue to have that fulfilled feeling after each work day.

Any internship advice to pass on to other Holy Cross students?

Don’t be afraid to try something new. The point of an internship is to gain experience, and the best way to know if you like something is to try it. Even if you start working and find that the field isn’t for you, that’s okay! There’s still so much to learn that can be applied to other areas. Gaining work experience will help your overall growth, no matter what the field so don’t be afraid to go out on a limb! There’s always a learning curve, so don’t worry about not being good at something, everyone starts out at the beginning. Take time to know your coworkers, they can show you the ropes and always have the best advice because they speak from personal experience.
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#CrusaderIntern: The Office of U.S. Senator Richard J. Durbin

Meet Mary Kate Vanecko #CrusaderIntern at The Office of U.S. Senator Richard J. Durbin

What were you up to this past summer?

I spent my summer working on the Hill for my state Senator, Richard Durbin. I enjoyed the high-energy, purpose-driven environment of Washington and learned a ton about the behind the scenes work of our government.

Senator Durbin serves in leadership as the Democratic Whip, so he has two offices in the Capitol. As an intern, I assist with various administrative tasks in both offices. I answer phone calls from constituents, give tours of the Capitol and attend and write memos on legislative hearings. I have attended several hearings on public health, energy and foreign affairs and have enjoyed hearing experts from each field debate. It has been eye-opening to witness the legislative process from constituent concerns to the passing of a bill. Before the Senate went on recess, they were debating several bills on GMO labeling, Zika funding and gun control. I was surprised by how many constituents called into the office to voice their concerns to the Senator and how many groups came in to meet with staff to share their concerns.

What was your favorite part?

One of my favorite experiences was the intern lecture series where a variety of political figures gave talks to the summer interns. I heard from NASA Administrator Charles Bloden. Like many of the speakers, he started as a congressional intern then went on to be a marine and astronaut. In a political environment that is becoming increasingly polarized, he shared an inspiring story about looking back at earth from space and seeing so clearly how we are all one.
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#CrusaderIntern: KCSA Strategic Communications

Catherine Greene ’17
KCSA Strategic Communications

What were you up to this past summer?
As an intern at KCSA, I split my time working on two accounts. One of the biggest parts of my internship is research. From researching press release coverage, to potential contacts for clients, and a wide variety of statistics that our clients utilize, I spent a good amount of my day reading. In addition to this, it is safe to say that I spent an equal amount of time writing briefing books and outreach emails for clients. Many days I will have two or three meetings, listening in on conference calls with clients and other PR firms, as well as participating in brainstorming sessions.

What was your favorite part?
Having the opportunity to intern at a well-regarded communications firm is something that I am very grateful for. I was exposed to many commonly-used PR tools such as Gorkana and Factiva, and worked with account directors and high-up executives. I love the fact that I get to go into work everyday knowing that I will be doing something different for two different accounts, and leaving with a sense of accomplishment.

What surprised you?
Something that surprised me the most was the prevalence of Excel in the public relations industry. While it is not used for computing, it is used as a means of organization and as a way to present information to clients. I met with a man that worked at Google here in New York and he told me that if there is one thing I can enter the workplace with is proficiency in Excel. I would definitely say that this is true and I would recommend to all students seeking internships that they have somewhat of a capacity for Excel.