{"id":755,"date":"2023-09-27T13:50:40","date_gmt":"2023-09-27T17:50:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/?page_id=755"},"modified":"2025-08-14T13:26:09","modified_gmt":"2025-08-14T17:26:09","slug":"the-power-of-internships","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/fall-2023\/features\/the-power-of-internships\/","title":{"rendered":"The power of internships"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Kathy Andrews<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cA great internship is one where a student is trained really well and given the independence both to learn and to fail,\u201d says Trinity College Career and Life Design Executive Director Joe Catrino. \u201cAnd if they build their network, develop further skills, and understand the culture of an organization\u2014when a student comes away with those things\u2014that\u2019s a successful<\/em> internship.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Reporter<\/em> checked in with students and alumni about internships that have proven to be a vital part of their time at Trinity and have helped to develop and prepare them for life after college.<\/p>\n

Class-to-Industry Connection<\/h4>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a big difference in me before internships and me after internships,\u201d says Enock Niyonkuru \u201924, a Mastercard Foundation Scholar from Kigali, Rwanda.<\/p>\n

\"Enock
Enock Niyonkuru \u201924
Photo by Joanna Chattman<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A computer science major with minors in applied mathematics and formal organizations, Niyonkuru says applying what he learns at Trinity to the research setting of The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine (JAX) in Farmington, Connecticut, has been transformative. After pitching himself by email to a JAX professor of computational biology, he landed an internship sophomore year. Ever since, he has interned there, contributing to projects involving bioinformatics and machine learning as part of a team developing algorithms and software for the analysis of exome and genome sequences.<\/p>\n

Niyonkuru\u2019s Trinity adviser, Assistant Professor of Computer Science Chandranil Chakraborttii, helps him connect his coursework to his work at JAX. Says Niyonkuru, \u201cI can apply my experience in class to JAX and my experience at JAX to class\u2014it\u2019s the best way to understand the material.\u201d<\/p>\n

His internship has brought fulfillment and a potential career path, too. \u201cI was building software to be used to predict cancer, so I worked on that knowing I could help save people\u2019s lives.\u201d His latest JAX project, a database to help doctors diagnose rare diseases, will be his senior capstone project at Trinity. Best of all, says Niyonkuru, it will use artificial intelligence to advance health care, which he has been curious about ever since shadowing Rwandan hospital physicians during high school and seeing a need for more technology in that setting. \u201cNow I\u2019m looking into Ph.D. programs in bioinformatics and computational biology,\u201d he says, adding, \u201cI think this was a life-changing opportunity for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

International Inspiration<\/h4>\n
\"Annalise
Annalise Welte ’12<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Returning last March to Trinity\u2019s Rome Campus for the program\u2019s 50+3 anniversary celebration was special for Annalise Welte \u201912 in at least two ways: she traveled with her mother, Patricia Gallucci Welte \u201979, also a Trinity Rome program alumna, and she visited a former internship supervisor at Biblioteca Angelica.<\/p>\n

As a Trinity junior\u2014a classics major, minoring in Italian and philosophy\u2014Welte was passionate about her studies but unsure of her career aspirations. In Rome, she spotted the opportunity to intern at one of Europe\u2019s oldest libraries and was drawn to immerse herself in speaking Italian while surrounded by rare manuscripts and books. She anticipated running errands and picking up coffee, but instead, her supervisors asked what interested her in their collection and encouraged her to select items to focus on for a project.<\/p>\n

The internship became a significant highlight of her global study experience, inspiring her to research library and museum jobs in the United States and to set her sights on this field professionally. Back on campus in Hartford, she took a \u201cHistory of the Book\u201d class with Jonathan Elukin, associate professor of history. \u201cThat cemented everything,\u201d says Welte, noting that the class brought her to Trinity\u2019s Watkinson Library, where she discovered its depth of rare book and special collections.<\/p>\n

Now the recipient of two master\u2019s degrees, one in art history and one in library science, Welte is an art librarian and tenure-track faculty member at New York University\u2019s Institute of Fine Arts Library; previously, she held positions at the Thomas J. Watson Library at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and at the Getty Research Institute. \u201cI\u2019m so lucky to have had incredibly supportive supervisors during my internship experience,\u201d she says. \u201cIt completely inspired me, personally, academically, and professionally.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alumni Support<\/h4>\n

Zachary Logan Gould \u201907, assistant vice president and assistant general counsel at Symetra Financial Corporation\u2019s New York City-based benefits division, looks back fondly on two summers in Washington, D.C., when he was among the throngs of college interns.<\/p>\n

\"Zachary
Zachary Logan Gould \u201907 in an autographed photo from his 2006 Washington D.C. internship with Connecticut Senator Christopher J. Dodd<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After his sophomore year, Gould interned for New York Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy, who became a U.S. representative after her husband was killed and her son was injured in a shooting. Gould was proud to support her efforts toward stronger gun control. The next summer, he researched policy positions and helped draft legislation as an intern with Connecticut Senator Christopher J. Dodd. \u201cIt was the summer leading up to Dodd announcing his run for presidency, and it was exhilarating,\u201d says Gould. \u201cFor me, the ability to help shape public policy that impacted individuals living in more urban environments was especially important. It was critical to help those who may not have access to the public infrastructure, programs, and support that allow Americans to be successful where they live and proud of what they\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Combined with his public policy and law major and Afro-American studies minor [now African American studies], supportive faculty, and his campus service with the Student Government Association and the Honor Council, Gould\u2019s internship experiences led him to law school.<\/p>\n

Of his time on Capitol Hill, Gould also well remembers the honor of receiving a grant from the William R. Cotter \u201949 Scholarship Fund, named for a Trinity alumnus and U.S. House of Representatives member from Connecticut. That support made Gould\u2019s second summer internship a little easier, expense-wise. \u201cI distinctly remember writing to Mr. Cotter\u2019s family, thanking them for that support and being able to honor his legacy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Practical Connections<\/h4>\n
\"Aarti
Aarti Lamberg ’24<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Aarti Lamberg \u201924, a Presidential Scholar from Amherst, Massachusetts, majoring in human rights with a community action minor focused on performance in the community, says, \u201cI feel driven to take what I read and study at Trinity into the real world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Internships have been a big part of her college career, enabling her to explore topics about which she is passionate. With support from the Catalyst Summer Internship Fund, Lamberg\u2014who is a dancer\u2014completed an internship with the Justice Dance Performance Project (JDPP), a Hartford organization founded by Judy Dworin \u201970, professor of theater and dance, emerita, that examines social issues through dance-theater performance and engagement with the arts. \u201cI think that Judy will be a lifelong mentor for me,\u201d says Lamberg, who is excited to be on track to earn an experiential certificate in carceral systems and social change, with her JDPP internship counting toward that.<\/p>\n

\"Aarti
Aarti Lamberg \u201924 (second from right) with Greater Hartford Legal Aid immigration team attorneys Lisa Herrera, Michael Ravelo (Lamberg\u2019s internship supervisor), Ryan Powell, and Enelsa D\u00edaz<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

More recently, as a participant in the human rights\/international studies global migration and refugee internship seminar, Lamberg interned with Greater Hartford Legal Aid (GHLA), where she worked with immigrants, sitting in with staff on client-intake meetings and helping clients edit paperwork associated with filing cases. Because immigration and refugee resettlement constitute another of her focus areas, interning at GHLA was ideal.<\/p>\n

When Lamberg considers the skills she contributes as an intern, she says, \u201cThey include communicating efficiently and getting things done on time; asking questions when you need to; and especially writing, editing, and researching. I\u2019m so grateful for Trinity and the people who\u2019ve taught me these things.\u201d She notes she is thankful, as well, for a summer job in Admissions, which included the benefit of campus housing, making it possible for her to complete one of her Hartford internships over the summer. \u201cIt really was all sides of Trinity helping me out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Opportunities Close to Campus<\/h4>\n

Adrian West \u201997, managing director, investment banking, at NextGen Capital in California, says of internships, \u201cYou can put yourself on a path to something you want to do, or you can check a box about something you don\u2019t want to do. Both are valuable, and in my case, I was fortunate to do both.\u201d<\/p>\n

With his first internship, at a stock brokerage firm in downtown Hartford, West learned that individual investment planning was not what he wanted to do. An economics major and formal organizations minor, he realized investment banking was where he saw his future. He says he feels certain that his second internship in Hartford\u2014with Roosevelt & Cross, whose services include investment banking\u2014was an important factor in helping him land his first job on Wall Street with Lehman Brothers.<\/p>\n

\"Adrian
Adrian West \u201997, in circle, with his Trinity rowing team<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThere were other components\u2014I had a Trinity alumni connection, a decent story to tell about what I was studying, and with my participation on the rowing team, there was the work ethic, dedication, and teamwork involved in that\u2014all the different things you weave into an interview. But being able to talk intelligibly about the field and use some of the experiences I\u2019d had was absolutely critical,\u201d says West. \u201cI don\u2019t think I would have stood out and gotten the job offer without it.\u201d<\/p>\n

West stays involved with Trinity by volunteering as an admissions interviewer in Southern California. As he speaks with prospective students about what makes Trinity distinct among New England liberal arts colleges, he always emphasizes Hartford. \u201cThere\u2019s so much opportunity to intern right there in the city. Whether it\u2019s in law, politics, health care, finance, insurance\u2014there\u2019s just a lot of opportunity for Trinity students.\u201d<\/p>\n

For more information about internships, visit the Career & Life Design website<\/a>. Trinity alumni, family, and friends with information to share about available internship opportunities are encouraged to email Severn Sandt, senior assistant director of strategic partnerships and outreach in the Career and Life Design Center, at severn.sandt@trincoll.edu<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

In the header photo: Enock Niyonkuru \u201924 at The Jackson Laboratory in Farmington, Connecticut. Photo by Joanna Chattman<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Kathy Andrews \u201cA great internship is one where a student is trained really well and given the independence both to learn and to fail,\u201d says Trinity College Career and Life Design Executive Director Joe Catrino. \u201cAnd if they build their network, develop further skills, and understand the culture of an organization\u2014when a student comes […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"parent":713,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-755","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe power of internships - The Trinity Reporter<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/fall-2023\/features\/the-power-of-internships\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The power of internships\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Kathy Andrews \u201cA great internship is one where a student is trained really well and given the independence both to learn and to fail,\u201d says Trinity College Career and Life Design Executive Director Joe Catrino. \u201cAnd if they build their network, develop further skills, and understand the culture of an organization\u2014when a student comes […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/fall-2023\/features\/the-power-of-internships\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Trinity Reporter\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-08-14T17:26:09+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/143\/2023\/09\/JOJO5020-683x1024.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"683\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"9 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/fall-2023\/features\/the-power-of-internships\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/fall-2023\/features\/the-power-of-internships\/\",\"name\":\"The power of internships - 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