Matthew Holmes, '12, poses for a photograph with Mississippi governor Haley Barbour. Matthew, a political science major from Rice Lake, Wis., has a summer internship at the Republican Governor's Association in Washington, D.C.

A Time to Explore

Smeds Executive Internship Program gives students experience, focus, and the opportunity to network in their fields

By Elizabeth Reinhardt, '12
July 26, 2011

Location is one of Carthage's greatest assets. Situated between Chicago and Milwaukee, the College is perfectly positioned for students who hope to land meaningful and career-oriented internships. This summer, 17 Carthage students gained hands-on experience in such fields as marketing, data analysis, public relations, politics, theatre, research, and finance through the Smeds Executive Internship Program.

"While we have many students who have internships, both for credit and not, the Smeds Executive Internship Program allows us to highlight some of our highest achieving students," said Jean Frederick, director of Career Services at Carthage. Established in 1993 by Edward W. Smeds, '57, the program allows students to apply their coursework in real-world settings. All participants must be nominated by faculty and have a cumulative G.P.A. of at least 3.2. Students apply for their internships on their own and, if hired, receive an additional stipend from the program for their participation.

"It's for students who show strong leadership abilities," Ms. Frederick said. "It is our way of highlighting both the quality of our students, and the types of internships they participate in." In a significant way, the students serve as ambassadors for Carthage, she added. "If they are good interns at their sites, it makes it much easier to get the next intern into that company."

Originally, the program only accepted students majoring in business-related fields. But in 2010, the program was broadened to include students in all areas of study. This year, Smeds interns include students majoring in accounting, marketing, history, environmental science, communication, public relations, mathematics, political science, theatre, physics and biology.

From Theory to Practice

Internships allow students to apply what they have learned in the classroom to real-world situations. For Zachary Tilden, '12, of Lincolnwood, Ill., that meant conducting research in synthetic DNA technology with Dr. Jennifer Moran at the Chicago Center for Systems Biology at the University of Chicago.

Zachary, a biology major with minors in entrepreneurial science and chemistry, hopes to go to dental school after graduating from Carthage. "I wanted to gain research experience," he said. "Sixty to eighty percent of dental students are doing research."

In his classes at Carthage, Zachary's professors taught him the theory and concepts behind the procedures he put into practice this summer. "Actually doing the procedures numerous times has greatly expanded my understanding," he said. "For each concept I've dealt with, my work has illuminated it beyond what is possible in the classroom and lab sessions. ... I have become proficient at many core, biological research protocols, including the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), DNA mini-preps, gel electrophoresis, cutting bands from gels, plating bacteria, screening Drosophila flies, imaging Drosophila flies, using high-power microscopes for fly dissections, and setting up Drosophila crosses. This is just the tip of the iceberg, I have a lot more to learn this summer."

Hollis McPeek, '12, right, works with her fellow Solo Cup Company intern.

Hollis McPeek, '12, from Lake Bluff, Ill., impressed her internship supervisors when she already knew about a project they assigned her. A marketing major, Hollis spent the summer working in sales operations and planning at Solo Cup Company, where she was asked to work with the company's SalesForce.com initiative. She had studied this initiative in a Sales Management course with business professor J.J. Shields.

"Our final in the course was selling this product to Prof. Shields, so my manager was very excited to have me on the team," Hollis said. "I knew the ins and outs of SalesForce and had a fresh perspective on it, which in the long run, helped him. I had the opportunity to sit in on a meeting with all of the vice presidents and the CEO about SalesForce.com, and my boss and the vice president of sales used my notes to direct some of the meeting. It was rewarding being there and being able to see how the higher-level people in a business interact and their reasoning on implementing new technology."

A Foot in the Door

Most employers want students with some career-related work experience, so internships like those held by Smeds interns can make all the difference when students start applying for jobs after graduation. Internships offer opportunities to tackle new projects, do independent research, and network with potential employers.

Mitch Weindorf, '13, of Campbellsport, Wis., interned with the professional theatre group Peninsula Players this summer. For Mitch, a theatre performance major, it was a way to get a foot in the door of a very competitive field. "I am getting experience in a field that I want to work in for my career," he said. "This is invaluable since most people don't like to hire someone without experience. I get to work with actors and learn tricks and techniques from them."

Auggie Arundel, '13, of Orland Park, Ill., is using his major in public relations to break into another competitive field — professional sports. He is a Fan Experience Intern for the Chicago Cubs this summer. The job has taught him a lot about turning negatives into positives and working with the public. "My majors are communication and public relations, so the internship connects perfectly with what I am doing," Auggie said. "It will help me, because I will have the experience of working the front line and dealing with all different kinds of fans."

For political science major Matthew Holmes, '12, from Rice Lake, Wis., his internship at the Republican Governors Association in Washington, D.C., applies directly to his future career goals. "Ultimately, I want to have a career in election law," he said. "This internship helps my career by having a direct effect on upcoming governors' elections and by meeting governors and various staff members. I get to network every single day."

Seizing Opportunity

Nate Card, '12, a mathematics major from Appleton, Wis., is working as a data analyst for Milliman IntelliScript, where he's had the opportunity to work on complex projects. "The largest project I've completed as a data analyst was to investigate updates to our own service so a client could be upgraded to the most recent version of our service without anything else becoming broken in the process," Nate said. "It was a very detailed and rigid process that required careful analysis and investigation."

Internships can also be helpful when it comes to narrowing down a post-graduation career path. Colin Drayton, '12, from Lake Villa, Ill., interned at Congressman Joe Walsh's Fox Lake Office. He learned that he did not want to be a politician.

"I want to go to law school after Carthage, and this internship has changed my goals," said Colin, a history major. "Now I am thinking about being a lawyer rather than getting a law degree and then being a politician or lobbyist. I think it has broadened my horizons and led me to focus on a strict legal path."

For marketing and management major Kristin Flickinger, '12, of Pewaukee, Wis., her internship helped her narrow down what she likes and doesn't like about a career in marketing. She interned at Johnson Controls in the OPTIMA Batteries marketing department.

"It has given me a clearer picture of what kind of career I'd like to have," she said. "I have learned a lot about different aspects of managing a brand and keeping all of the marketing efforts consistent with the brand and the target consumer. The work I'm doing this summer will help my career a lot because I have gained some good experience that most hiring managers are looking for in future employees."

Narrowing Focus

Joshua Beaugrand, '11, from Sturtevant, Wis., participated in the Smeds Executive Internship Program for the second time this summer. A double major in accounting and finance, he worked with Children's Hospital of Wisconsin last summer and Abbott Laboratories this summer. "The work that I am participating in this summer allows me to figure out if there is an area of accounting or finance that interests me more or less than other areas — something that every internship should allow each student to do," Joshua said.

Sara Fouts, '12, does field research on cellulosic biofuel crops.

Sara Fouts, '12, of West Chicago, Ill., finds herself in a similar situation — she's not completely certain what direction she wants to head after graduation, but she knows that her internship has given her tools that will help her no matter what she chooses to do. She is doing field research on cellulosic biofuel crops for the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center at Kellogg Biological Station through Michigan State University.

"I'm still not sure if research is going to be my chosen path, but ultimately I would like to be a teacher at the high school level or a college professor in the sciences," Sara said. "This internship has really made me take a hard look at all of the options that are possible after college, and I have gained a lot of useful advice from my mentors and peers here."

• • •

Elizabeth Reinhardt, '12, is a public relations major from Appleton, Wis., and a student writer for the Communications Office at Carthage. She also is participating in the Smeds Executive Internship Program this summer.  She has an internship with the Brewers Community Foundation, the charitable branch of the Milwaukee Brewers Baseball Club. "I get to see all of the different aspects of the Baseball Club," she said. "Working with the foundation allows me to work in professional athletics, event planning and nonprofits. We work with fans, other departments, event staff, volunteers and players. It is a very well-rounded opportunity."

Smeds Executive Internship Program Participants 2011

Auggie Arundel
Majors: Communication, Public Relations
Internship: Chicago Cubs

Joshua Beaugrand
Majors: Accounting, Finance
Internship: Abbott Laboratories

Nate Card
Majors: Mathematics, Music
Internship: Milliman IntelliScript

Sarah Caselli
Majors: Management, marketing
Internship: Walgreens Corporate

Colin Drayton
Majors: History
Internship: Congressman Walsh's Legislative Office

Stephanie Finnvik
Majors: Spanish, Physics
Internship: Universe Awareness, University of Leiden

Kristen Flickinger
Majors: Management, Marketing
Internship: Johnson Controls

Sara Fouts
Majors: Environmental Science
Internship: Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, Kellogg Biological Station

Matthew Holmes
Majors: Political Science
Internship: Republican Governors Association, Washington, D.C.

Hollis McPeek
Majors: Management, Marketing
Internship: Solo Cup Company

Maureen Osogo
Majors: Management, Marketing
Internship: Solo Cup Company

Janki Patel
Majors: Marketing, Psychology
Internship: Paris Presents

Leann Quertinmont
Majors: Chemistry
Internship: Pacific Sands Inc.

Elizabeth Reinhardt
Majors: Public Relations, Spanish
Internship: Milwaukee Brewers Community Foundation

Zachary Tilden
Majors: Biology
Internship: University of Chicago Institute for Genomics and Systems Biology

Sergio Vasquez
Majors: Accounting
Internship: Jockey International

Mitch Weindorf
Majors: Theatre Performance
Internship: Peninsula Players