Many of us grew up thinking of internships as free labor, where qualified candidates are told to do mundane tasks like coffee runs and making copies. Not all internships are created equally, however, and some of them provide a unique opportunity to learn new skills, scope out a job, or make connections in a competitive field. Every year, McDermotts explore all of these benefits and more at internships across the DFW metroplex. Here’s what they’ve learned:
“I currently intern for a company owned by a McDermott alumnus that teaches people how to cook and does meal preparations. One of the most interesting things we did was go to a restaurant supply-store, which has huge quantities of almost any food you can imagine. During the internship, I’ve also been surprised by how complicated seemingly mundane things can be. We worked on knife skills for quite a while – something I’d never really considered, even though I use them every day when I cook.”
-Ann-Cathrin Guertler ‘16
“I was an intern at the Nasher Sculpture Center in fall 2015. I learned that even if I wasn’t working with art directly, I still loved gaining a deepening my understanding of how museums work. It was the first time I was surrounded by others as passionate about art history as I am. In addition to tangible skills in database management, I made valuable connections and got to spend Fridays exploring and supporting one of the best modern sculpture collections in the nation.”
-Elyse Mack ‘14
“Ten months ago, I started an internship at the Dallas International Rescue Committee, where I help refugees and asylees apply for adjustment of status or family reunification in the United States. Just two days after I started the internship, the first refugee ban was announced, and I saw firsthand the momentous impact that changes in immigration policy have on both immigrants themselves and the organizations that work with them. While interning at the IRC, I also took UTD’s Refugee and Asylum Law course. As I studied different immigration policies, I constantly thought about different people and cases that I had worked with at my internship and how these policies affect their situations. I eventually want to work in immigration policy, and this internship laid the perfect foundation for me to understand the implications of enacted policy.”
-Sarah Whipple ‘16
“I am currently interning at MCG Group in Plano, Texas as a strategy consulting intern. During my time there, I have the chance to learn how to approach a complex problem into tangible pieces as well as learn how to work well in a team and balance the dynamics of working closely with people, especially in terms of getting my thoughts across while respectfully addressing and incorporating other people’s thoughts.”
-Christy Purnadi ‘14
“As a Community Development intern at the Dallas Federal Reserve, I was an integral part of the team that serves the economic needs of the 11th Federal Reserve District. My supervisor and I spent the majority of the summer researching the effects of the Community Reinvestment Act on the credit conditions of communities across Texas. The paper should be published by the end of the year!
It was really cool to work at a place that I learned so much about in my economics classes. The skills I gained and the exposure to constant learning will be very useful to me if I continue to pursue a career in law and economic policy. Additionally, I was able to greatly improve my writing and speaking skills because of the demands of the professional environment, a skill that I will need to rely on desperately in the political arena. Finally, the best part of the internship was the people. Their career paths, dedication to community service, and joy in the work they put in everyday was very inspiring and enlightening to a student who may at times be distraught by the political climate.”
-Areeb Siddiqui ‘16
“My internship was at FC Dallas. I was responsible for implementing an athlete screening program that I had previously developed during my time at Aspetar. I learned that every hospital and team does things differently and the ability to be flexible is absolutely necessary in order to thrive when implementing ideas you’ve previously had into the new culture. I’ve learned a lot about athletic training, anatomy, and clinical presentation of common injuries. All of my experiences at FC Dallas have been educational and give me an advantage over other medical students who have not gotten to see the presentation of these injuries. My experiences at FC Dallas have made a difference in my life through solidifying my desire to be a physician through actual patient care and intervention application.”
-Umer Nadir ‘15
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