The Department of Career and Professional Services at Albertus Magnus College helps students in developing, evaluating and implementing a career and professional development plan. Gaining ‘real world’ experience is incredibly important in understanding your coursework on a practical level. The workforce has changed drastically in response to the COVID-19 Pandemic, and our students are adapting to these new guidelines, completing their summer internships remotely, in-person, or in a blended format.
“Experiential learning is through the experience of “doing”, with hands on applications and problem solving, inside and outside the classroom. These experiences improve student success in terms of graduation rates and achieving post-graduation goals for further education and career development.” Dr. Hilda Speicher, Coordinator of the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence
Meet a few Albertus undergraduate students who are taking their classroom knowledge into the workforce.
Dariusz Niedziela, Class of 2021
“I feel like this internship was a perfect guide to finding out what I would like to do in the future.”
Entering into his senior year, Dariusz will graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Systems from the Albertus Evening Undergraduate program. He began his fully remote internship at Travelers Insurance in Hartford, Connecticut this summer. “At Travelers there are many platforms available to employees for successful communication within the organization. I am able to apply the skills that I have learned in school and develop new ones.” With these new skills, Dariusz feels ready to enter the workforce in his new field of expertise.
“I was able to learn Travelers’ work ethic and apply it on a daily basis. It is important to respect each other’s work hours, therefore punctuality is key. Everyone within the team is doing a great job making sure to be always on time for the meetings (due to different time zones.)”
Amina Khokhar, Class of 2021
Amina’s Bachelor of Arts in Art Management degree gives her the opportunity to work in multiple industries; honing her skills in both business management and creative work. “Work_Space”, a meeting & co-working space in the heart of downtown Manchester, Connecticut was the perfect fit for her unique program of study. On her most important takeaways, Amina says that “this internship showed me what corresponding with artists really is like, as well processes like ‘strategic planning’, which will be very helpful in the future for me.”
Her internship has only boosted Amina’s confidence, taking on more creative projects. “The team I work with always asks for my opinion and allows me to start new projects. They let me be in charge of tasks and also demonstrate my creativity, like by creating social media posts.”
Douglas Johnson, Class of 2023
Douglas Johnson will graduate in 2023 with a Bachelor of Science in Finance.
The world is ever evolving and technology is being created to allow for better connection, even within the finance and banking industry. Douglas, a rising sophomore at Albertus Magnus College, began his summer internship at Invest Voyager, a crypto-trading app for investors, based in New York City, New York. Due to travel restrictions, he was able to work from home virtually.
“My time with Voyager has been full of learning and challenges,” says Douglas, “I have realized the importance of the internship experience and the value that experiential learning holds.”
Gillian Kashuba, Class of 2021
Accounting students at Albertus learn the fundamentals of financial management, budget analysis, auditing, and corporate and nonprofit accounting.
The UCONN Health Center, located in Farmington, Connecticut, is a facility that provides patient-centered primary and specialty care. It takes a team of essential professionals to help provide these services, some that may not be as visible. This is where Albertus senior Gillian Kashuba began her summer internship. Utilizing the practices she learned in her Bachelor of Science in Accounting program, she was able to assist in the daily operations that keep UCONN Health running smoothly.
“My internship at UConn Health exposed me to different areas of accounting. Every day I learned something new while incorporating all the necessary skills learned in the classroom at Albertus.” Using programs like Excel in her daily tasks, she was able to significantly improve her knowledge of the software and in data entry. With a blended internship, Gillian worked remotely and on-site where she connected with her supervisor and the Finance Department.
Jonny’s Jara-Silva, Class of 2022
Placement into internships are also available at Albertus Magnus College. For Jonny’s Jara-Silva, he was able to become a Research Assistant for the Psychology Department this summer. When asked on his experience, he states that “in teleconference meetings and emails with my supervisors, I’m able to express my ideas to supplement our research study, back up my reasoning for those ideas, and suggest potential changes that can improve our study.” Being able to work closely with Albertus faculty on this research project has helped Jonny’s develop his abilities in research, as well as contribute to the team.