Major and class standing: Humanities Pre-Law, Junior
Where you interned at: Data Analyst and Design Intern at MSU’s Individual Giving Unit Office

What was your internship title and role/responsibilities?
My responsibilities as a Data Analyst and Design Intern include working with staff in the Individual Giving Unit Office including the Regional Lead, Stewardship Coordinator, Data Analytics, and Prospect Data staff, as well as completing a multi-faceted project presenting both visual analytics and data list reporting for major regions of MSU alumni in all colleges. I also designed a visual display of the different data sets for the regional teams to utilize, organized a local nonprofit field trip, developed a custom brochure, contacted all local nonprofit development officers

How did you obtain your internship? What resources did you utilize to secure your internship?
My Supervisor Trajan Dubiel came into my workplace “MSU Greenline” and presented the internship. I utilized my networking connections and work experience within the University to secure the internship.

What did your daily routine include?
My daily routine included coming into Spartan Stadium at 8 am every morning Monday-Friday to 5pm. I would work in my cubicle on my project which entailed looking at the past 10 fiscal years of giving to MSU in the Chicago Area as well as the constituency within the Metro. I would also have meetings with my supervisors weekly as well as attend University Advancements Development meetings.

Your favorite experience from the internship (2-3 sentences)
My favorite experience from my internship was getting the opportunity to learn from professionals working in University Advancements and the variety of aspects within each department. I also thoroughly enjoyed getting to connect with my fellow interns/spartans it really provided me with a sense of comfort and support along my internship. We also got to go on a field trip to visit 4 local nonprofits which was very enlightening and a great way to provide excitement during the summer internship.

What was your least favorite part of the internship?
My least favorite part was definitely waking up at 7 am every morning but hey that is the real world for ya.

What skills did you learn and/or build upon during your internship?
I learned throughout my internship to work independently means to be consistently productive on your project and holding yourself accountable for the steps/decisions you make in working to complete the project.

What did you learn about the industry or your career path as a result of the internship? What are your future plans?
I learned so much about what a nonprofit is and what they do for the areas they are in. I am definitely interested in working in a nonprofit in the future or even for Michigan State’s University Advancements. 

What advice do you have for other students seeking out internship opportunities?
As for advice, I would recommend no matter what your job title/role is in your internship to not be afraid to branch out in meeting people in the environment you’re in or asking questions about all the different positions the company holds to find an area that may interest you.