Summer internships are a valuable part of the student experience at Michigan State University. They offer a chance for Spartans to apply classroom concepts to real-world projects, expand their professional network and, ultimately, jump-start their career.

This year, Broad Spartans took on a blend of virtual, in-person and hybrid internships at companies big and small across the country. Some had the chance to meet one-on-one with senior leadership and sharpen their professional communication skills, while others soaked up every chance to learn and embrace new opportunities in their field.

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Linsey Nichols, hospitality business junior, ventured to Walt Disney World Resort for her summer internship.

As we begin another academic year, enjoy highlights from the 2021 Broad Spartan summer and see how today’s students are making business happen.

Linsey Nichols, hospitality business junior, ventured to Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, for her summer internship. She saw firsthand that “guests drive the experience. If you have purpose and pride in what you do, providing an excellent guest experience will come naturally.”

Mwaba Musonda, accounting senior, had a hybrid experience — blending in-person and virtual components — at BDO in Grand Rapids, Michigan. “As a tax intern, I was exposed to work that I did not know of prior to the internship. Challenging myself to take on projects of unfamiliarity was focal in helping widen my learning curve as the internship progressed.”

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Meher Deb Roy, supply chain management senior, worked remotely for Lenovo.

Vincent Pucillo, marketing senior, interned for PepsiCo in Piscataway, New Jersey. He learned “that effective teamwork and communication are so important to efficiently carry out tasks.”

Meher Deb Roy, supply chain management senior, worked remotely for Lenovo. “My favorite internship experiences revolved around the fact that I was surrounded by people with endless new ideas, every conversation was a fresh lens to view the world around me.”

Andy Whitaker, MBA student studying finance, interned at Deloitte in Detroit, Michigan. Whitaker was able to learn about organization and flexibility. “Learning how to be organized in my internal responsibilities is what allowed me to be flexible and adapt to new external challenges every day. Having an organized sense of self as my foundation provided me the opportunity to make smarter, faster decisions while maintaining the same level of quality work that is to be expected from a Broad MBA.”

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Nathan Jefferson, finance sophomore, spent his summer with Valeo Financial Advisors in Carmel, Indiana.

Madison Packer, human resource management senior, interned remotely for Ally Financial. Packer said the experience helped her see how much opportunity there is in HR. “I was exposed to all the different areas within HR and within each and every meeting, I learned of a new job. HR is evolving by the day, and I am beyond excited to be entering into this field.”

Nathan Jefferson, finance sophomore, spent his summer with Valeo Financial Advisors in Carmel, Indiana. “In this position, I was allowed to make investment recommendations for clients, reallocate their assets, summarize their estate documents, and so much more. As a result, my learning curve has increased exponentially.”

To explore more Broad Spartan summer stories, view our intern gallery.