Gone are the days when scooping ice cream sufficed as a summer job. These days, many Calvin students maximize their summer break to gain pre-professional experience through internships, and they’re building strong resumes along the way.
Business Major In China
 |
Senior business communications major Dongni Hu landed a position as a marketing intern at the British Chamber of Commerce in Chengdu, China, a city of more than 14 million people. Her internship was especially interesting this summer since it coincided with the London Olympics. Dongni helped organize special events to celebrate the Olympics, such as a Torch Relay with participation from over 180 international organizations. |
Not all of her assignments were related to the Olympics — she also composed weekly newsletters, managed social media, and provided services to clients. Through her work, Dongni rubbed shoulders with talented colleagues from countries all over the world. And she learned the importance of networking with those colleagues — a supervisor who she met while interning at an English magazine after freshmen year informed her of and recommended her for the Chamber position.
Currently, Dongni is participating in yet another internship, this time with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra while on the Chicago Semester. By the time she graduates, her resume will demonstrate extensive practical skills in addition to a solid education.
Goldman Sachs Hires Two from Calvin
Philosophy and Spanish major Kevin DeVries’ summer experience will alter his life direction significantly. When Calvin alumnus Dirk Pruis ‘82, Managing Director of Operations for Goldman Sachs, recruited on campus for summer interns, Kevin was intrigued and decided to apply. He was one of two Calvin students selected for a position. |
 |
Kevin’s analyst internship at Goldman Sachs’ Operations Division brought him to New Jersey for the summer, where he “reexamined corporate strategy in the face of 21st century changes to the financial marketplace.” The experience exposed Kevin to “tremendous diversity, both in people’s backgrounds and in their viewpoints.”
Some might wonder how a philosophy major fits in as an analyst for a financial leader’s operations division, but Kevin’s ability to think deeply and analyze logically served him well in this role. He explained, “A philosopher is, among other things, a conceptual engineer. That’s exactly what strategy is: combining the various strengths of a company in a way that makes sense and produces the best results.” His sound analytical skills resulted in a full-time job at Goldman Sachs following graduation.
Amway's Internship Program Provides Solid Experience
 |
Closer to home, David Rietema interned at Amway’s headquarters in Ada, Michigan. An economics and Spanish major, David landed a position as a strategic planning intern. His team’s job was to develop long-range goals for the company, which included researching emerging trends to predict the business environment of the future. As part of a large, international organization, David witnessed first-hand how various functions — marketing, supply chain, and finance — fit together like a puzzle to fulfill the company’s overall strategy. Observing how strategies vary by market was especially interesting. David explained, “A very different strategy may be implemented in Asia than in the U.S. due to culture, social, and economic factors.” |
David encourages other students to participate in Amway’s internship program. He states, “Amway is committed to offering internships that develop a student’s skills and understanding while accomplishing a summer project. They demonstrated constant concern with my personal development throughout the summer.” David’s internship is continuing part-time throughout the school year.
Other local companies offer solid internship opportunities as well. For example, Steelcase has been the largest employer of Calvin interns — they had 17 Calvin student interns last summer alone. Over the past few years, 80% of graduates have had an internship or practicum experience while at Calvin, a far cry from a decade ago when internships were rare and cone-scooping jobs common.
