A Dozen Jefferson Students Recount Their Summer Internships

Internships play a crucial role in the Jefferson experience and highlight why the vast majority of students excel after graduation, either enrolling in grad school or working in fields related to their majors or career interests. A dozen students from across the University share some of the real-world skills they gained this summer.

Finance major Leonell Aguilar interned at Braatz Wealth Advisors, a wealth management and financial planning firm in Marlton, N.J. His responsibilities included researching financial topics, such as retirement accounts, pensions, Social Security, and tax-efficient investment strategies; organizing client and seminar attendee data; and supporting the planning and execution of educational seminars for clients and prospective clients.

“Combining school and the real world has given me a deeper understanding of wealth management, retirement planning, portfolio construction, investment analysis, and client relationships,” Aguilar says.

Construction Management student Isabella “Izzy” Brody-Kaplan interned with the project design and construction department at Jefferson Health. She shadowed project managers on construction projects across Pennsylvania, from Philadelphia to the Lehigh Valley.

“I assisted with invoice proposals, helped prepare budgets, and gained firsthand experience supporting construction projects in healthcare settings,” she says. “I also participated in walkthroughs of job sites, including hospital emergency departments and research labs.”

Psychology major Delina Charles worked as an undergraduate student research assistant at the Center for Autism Research at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). Her responsibilities included supporting several ongoing research initiatives, including the Infant Brain Imaging Study and the CONNECT study.

“Growing up, I often struggled academically and never imagined I would one day be assisting with research at CHOP,” she says. “This opportunity has strengthened my confidence in pursuing a PhD in clinical psychology and filled me with gratitude.”

Fashion Merchandising & Management major Abigail Gill worked at Spencer’s Gifts as a merchandising intern in the home décor department. Her responsibilities included checking vendor samples, keying new products into the system, merchandising floor sets, organizing the sample room, researching trends, and participating in team meetings.

“This experience has been incredibly valuable in expanding my understanding of the corporate retail industry,” she says. “The position fully immersed me in the role of a merchandiser and has given me deeper insight into how the company operates.”

Fashion Merchandising & Management major Samantha Hatter worked as a merchandising intern with Five Below’s Rack and Create teams. Her responsibilities included interacting with vendors and cross-functional partners, attending team meetings and corporate skill-training sessions, creating trend decks and visual merchandising plans, reviewing products for upcoming seasons, visiting Five Below stores, and conducting competitive research.

“The welcoming environment at the Jefferson College of Business has given me the confidence to always ask questions and absorb as much knowledge as I can from everyone I meet at Five Below,” she says. “I’m so grateful for this opportunity and excited to see where this experience takes me during my final year at Jefferson and beyond.”

Finance major Madeline Holmes worked as a financial planning and analysis intern at Chesapeake Utilities in Dover, Del. She supported a team of senior financial analysts in examining the company’s financial performance and forecasting expenditures. For her summer project, she created a holistic view of Sharp Energy, its propane subsidiary.

“This internship helped me learn the ins and outs of the propane business,” says Holmes, who’s also a member of the Rams softball team. “I’ve expanded my Excel skills and learned to use different platforms, such as Power BI, to organize company information.”

Textile Engineering & Science major Hiral Jani interned with Tesla’s Color, Material, Finish Mastering team in Fremont, Calif. There, she helped ensure that materials meet the company’s high standards for quality, appearance, and consistency.

“This internship has allowed me to bridge my research in materials engineering with real-world manufacturing, strengthen my technical problem-solving skills, and learn from engineers who drive innovation every day,” she says.

Biochemistry major Nicole Angela Morilla interned at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla., through its Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship program. Her project involved studying the role of the structural protein spectrin in clear cell renal cell carcinoma, one of the most common types of kidney cancer in adults.

“This internship strengthened my lab skills and expanded my network of graduate students, researchers, and medical professionals,” she says. “The program’s collaborative and welcoming environment also helped me become more confident in my research abilities and leadership skills, which will benefit me throughout my career.”

Fashion Merchandising & Management major Sara Osterhout interned with Ross in New York City.

“Working on the bedding team, specifically with sheets and comforters, taught me what it truly takes to be a buyer,” she says. “I learned everything from analyzing reports to working with vendors. This incredible experience helped me grow both professionally and personally while deepening my understanding of the retail buying process.”

Fashion Merchandising & Management major Alexandria Thompson worked as an internal brands merchandising intern at Five Below’s WoWTown headquarters in Philadelphia. Her responsibilities included collaborating with merchandising teams across multiple product categories, conducting retail research, interviewing customers to better understand brand awareness and shopping behaviors, and developing recommendations to strengthen Five Below’s brand identity and customer experience.

Pre-Medical Studies major Emily Zimny interned at Project C.U.R.E., a nonprofit that collects medical supplies for countries in need. Her responsibilities included responding to donation requests, pulling loads for container shipments, organizing the warehouse, leading volunteer activities, packing supplies for warehouse inventory, and supporting outreach to other communities and organizations.

“Integrating my medical knowledge into our daily tasks has made a meaningful difference,” she says. “It allowed me to answer questions more effectively and develop a deeper understanding of the instruments used in various procedures.”

Textile Technology major Palak Thakkar worked as a quality team intern at New Era Cap headquarters in Buffalo, N.Y. Follow along as she shares a day on the job in the video below.