Gettysburg College students did not sit idly during the summer as they awaited a return to campus for the start of the semester. Instead, empowered by the Center for Career Engagement, Center for Public Service, Eisenhower Institute, Civil War Institute, and other campus organizations, many Gettysburgians pursued professional opportunities to grow and develop before continuing their academic pursuits at Gettysburg this fall.
Gettysburg’s rigorous liberal arts and sciences curriculum prepared these students to enter the working world ready to make an impact in the fields of government, medicine, historical preservation and conservation, finance, public policy, data systems, and everything in between. In some cases, students took advantage of Gettysburg’s far-reaching network, connecting with alumni to secure these opportunities and strengthen their own personal networks as they look toward life after graduation.
Below is a sampling of the great work accomplished by Gettysburg students this past summer.
Michael Baehre ’24
Major: History
Minor: Civil War Studies
Boston African-American National Historical Society – Boston, Massachusetts
“This experience has helped me have a much better understanding of the American Civil War from a Northern viewpoint. Boston was one of the leaders of the abolition movement in the North and it's so interesting to see how influential the city was to the movement! Here's a photo of me at the top of the old North Church where the patterns were placed before the Battle of Lexington and Concord.”
Anna Benson ’23
Majors: Spanish, Public Policy, International & Global Studies
Velocity Government Relations – Arlington, Virginia
“This summer, I am interning with Velocity Government Relations, a women-led aerospace and national defense policy firm. I never pictured myself working in the aerospace field, but this experience has been incredibly validating in the sense that I am able to apply my government relations knowledge and policy skills to a totally new subject area. I have also gotten the chance to meet incredible leaders in the Aerospace community and learn about totally new content areas spanning from our satellite systems, to orbital debris, to our nuclear weapons arsenal.
“As an intern, I cover hearings and policy events to create summaries to send to our clients and help write our weekly news articles that are published each Friday. I am so excited to get to spend the summer in D.C. and be working with such an inspiring and influential group of women.”
Joe D’Anna ’23
Major: Business, Organizations, and Management
AbbVie Pharmaceuticals – Branchburg, New Jersey
“I was with the logistics and warehouse management department throughout the duration of my internship and was able to work on certain computer software’s like SAP and much more. During my time here, I worked on a project of moving certain pharmaceutical products to different warehouses and making sure all products were in the right locations.
“Working in an environment with executives and managers has shown me the ways of communication and how things are supposed to be run. Being part of meetings and big project movement gave me the skill to learn what it is to be in a big corporate world like this. This will definitely pave the way for my future endeavors after college.”
Lana Ebert ’24
Majors: Biology, International & Global Studies
Minor: Religious Studies, Middle East and Islamic Studies
National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations – Washington, D.C.
“This 10-week program involves weekly academic seminars, D.C.-area site visits, and runs in conjunction with a professional internship, which the Council assigns to each participant. I was placed with HANDS Along the Nile Development Services, Inc., a non-profit based in Alexandria, Virginia. This organization works to strengthen intercultural understanding between the U.S. and Egypt through economic, academic, social, and various other development programs. “
This internship has provided me with a fantastic opportunity to strengthen my writing skills, build my network in the D.C. community, and learn more about possible future careers. My experience so far in D.C. as part of EI’s Washington Summer Fellowship has been so rewarding.”
Caroline Gill ’24
Major: Business, Organizations, and Management
Minor: Political Science
The GIANT Company – Carlisle, Pennsylvania
“My favorite part about my marketing internship at The GIANT Company is that I do not have a ‘typical day.’ Each day is different. The last couple weeks, I have been working on various projects, including a social media project, mapping partnerships, and a comparison project within the grocery store field. At this internship, I have been able to go to two store openings in the Philadelphia area; attend multiple Phillies games and host our partners; do various activations all over Pennsylvania; help donate hundreds bags of free groceries to schools in Camden, New Jersey, where we also held a basketball clinic with the 76ers; donate a play kitchen to a childcare facility; and much more.
“I would say my biggest skill that I've learned and developed is networking in any capacity. Working with the manager of partnerships showed me how to balance the wants and needs of both the partner and the company.”
Teddy Girton ’23
Major: Business, Organizations, and Management
Minor: History
Lockton Companies – Washington, D.C.
“I learned a great deal from my experience at Lockton, not only about insurance brokerage but professionally as well. Being able to immerse myself into the property and casualty team was a great way for me to discover the fundamental processes of insurance brokering and showed me how many different industries commercial insurance touches. I think the best part about the experience is that it gave me exposure to a wide variety of new skills, from something as simple as managing my Outlook calendar to something as complex as researching insurance market trends to cater programs for clients.
“I hope I can use some of the technical skills I learned this summer to supplement the work I do at Gettysburg to finish off my college career. After college, I know that the professional skills I learned while at Lockton will be very beneficial to finding a career, and potentially one in insurance brokerage.”
Angelina Hall ’25
Majors: History, Anthropology
Minors: Civil War Studies, Public History
Women’s Rights National Historical Park - Remote
“My job is to research topics given to me by the Women's Rights NHP interpretation team. Currently, I am delving into any potential military connections to the leading women of the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention. I spend the day exploring online archives and documents. Once I find a source that gives me the information I was searching for, I add it to an annotated bibliography. This bibliography will be handed over to the NHP at the end of my internship and be added into their records for future use.
“This internship has helped me improve my self-motivation. Since it is a remote internship, I have to be able to take action and make sure everything that needs to be done gets done. If I get distracted, I need to be able to reset and get back into work. I have also learned that it is OK to step away for a short break every now and then. I hope to use this experience on my resume in order to find other internships with National Historic Parks, and potentially a full-time job with the NHP after I graduate.”
Molly Hoffman ’24
Majors: Environmental Studies, Spanish, Public Policy
Minor: Music
Land Conservancy of Adams County – Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
“In the morning, we’ll do property inspections to ensure the landowners are complying with their conservation plans. In the afternoon, we head back to the office where I’ll research ways we can help the landowners create grassland bird habitat, conserve forest, and construct riparian buffers. I’ve learned that farmers are integral to conservation. There are so many management practices that benefit a farmer’s harvest and protect the environment.
“I hope to get a similar job after graduation and reiterate to landowners that conservation doesn’t have to mean handing your land over to the government or making it unusable.”
Vanessa Igras ’23
Majors: Anthropology, International & Global Studies
Middle East Institute – Washington, D.C.
“As a part of the Eisenhower Institute's Summer Washington Fellowship, I am spending my summer interning at the Middle East Institute (MEI). MEI is a think tank and cultural center that seeks to increase knowledge of the Middle East among U.S. policy makers and promote a better understanding between the people of these two regions. At the Institute, I work as a research assistant for the vice president for policy. In my role, I provide research support on publications by the Middle East Institute on matters including but not limited to Iran, the Syrian conflict, non-state terrorist organizations, and security concerns within the MENA region. Additionally, I do preparatory research for the VP’s meetings, as well as take notes and produce executive summaries for any meetings, delegation visits, roundtable discussions, and events. Lastly, as a part of my long-term project at MEI, I am writing a research paper on the Haqqani Network in Afghanistan and its implications on broader regional security.”
Owen Labruna ’24
Majors: Economics, Political Science
Lutheran College Washington Semester – Washington, D.C.
“I am in Washington, D.C, this summer because I want to meet and learn from other professionals who work in our nation's capital to prepare for a career in politics. I am interning for the Lutheran College Washington Semester as a data analyst where I am using the skills learned from my economics classes at Gettysburg to help the program understand trends from their previous students and to help prepare for future classes coming to work in D.C. as part of the LCWS program.”
Lauren Manning ’23
Majors: Psychology, Public Policy
Minor: Peace and Justice Studies
National Parent Teacher Association – Alexandria, Virginia
“This summer, I am so grateful to have the opportunity to work as a government affairs Intern with the National PTA in Alexandria, Virginia. At the National PTA, our mission is to make every child’s potential a reality by practicing transformative family engagement and advocating for the well-being of all children. So far this summer, I have joined the National PTA in advocacy efforts for the Reauthorization of The Child Nutrition Act, increased common sense gun laws, and prioritizing access to mental health services at school. Additionally, working on education policy analysis on a national scale with the Center for Family Engagement has allowed me to dive deeper into intriguing insight into the intricacies of the American education system.
“Serving as an Eisenhower Fellow this summer has allowed me to make connections across complex policy fields and gain a deeper understanding in how the dynamic nature of economic systems, national security debates, healthcare policy, and social justice issues all influence the education space.”
Isaias Martinez ’23
Major: Environmental Studies, Spanish
Minor: Data Science
Center for Public Service Summer Fellowship – Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
“My experience with the fellowship was unique in the sense that my days were dependent on the month. In June, I would go about my day with blocks scheduled helping out the Adams County community. This would involve many things like volunteering at South Central Community Action Programs (SCCAP) or at the Painted Turtle Farm, and helping in the afternoon with Adult English as a Second Language (ESL) classes. In July, I would continue to do most of these activities with the added Migrant Education Summer School of Excellence during the day where I served as a teacher’s aid.
“I would love to do further research like this in my post-college career and incorporate it into my love for teaching, which has also been emphasized through the fellowship, as a professor in the future. I would just like to thank CPS for allowing to participate in this fellowship. I am so grateful for the opportunity to learn, engage, and grow with the community around us. I would encourage all students to engage with CPS and the community around us—they do so much for us and we should reciprocate.”
Abigael McEnroe ’23
Major: Health Sciences
Minor: Biology
Mercy Medical Center – Baltimore, Maryland
“I am currently shadowing an orthopedic spine physician assistant who is also a 2013 alumna from Gettysburg College. I have learned the various surgeries that can be performed in order to decompress and fuse the spine at various levels. I have also learned the pre- and post-operative care routines that patients need to follow for a successful surgery. Finally, I have learned quite a bit about medications including NSAIDs, muscle relaxers, nerve pain medications, and opioid pain relievers.
“I hope to be able to attend a physician assistant graduate program after graduating from Gettysburg College. This shadowing experiences has allowed me to see a specific specialty (spine) that includes patients varying in age from 20-89 years old!”
Riya Ou ’23
Major: Economics
Minor: Data Science
Voice of America/Vital Voices Global Partnership – Washington, D.C.
“From Monday to Wednesday, I work as a monitoring evaluation research and learning intern for Vital Voices Global Partnership, which is an international non-profit that works with women leaders in the areas of economic empowerment, political participation, and human rights. On Thursday and Friday, I intern for Voice of America, which is the largest and oldest U.S-owned international broadcaster. VOA broadcasts in 47 languages directly from its headquarters in D.C. to affiliate stations around the world and I work specifically with Khmer or Cambodian team.
“I'm very grateful for the opportunities and support from all my professors, supervisors, and mentors at Gettysburg, and especially, the summer fellowship from the Eisenhower Institute and the Bryant First Generation Student Fund through the Center for Career Engagement for making this awesome summer in D.C. possible for me.”
Hannah Wasson ’23
Major: Economics
Minor: Data Science
Baltimore-Washington Financial Advisors – Columbia, Maryland
“Throughout the workday, I get to collaborate on projects with the other interns, including another Gettysburg College student, Hailey Schendel ’23, surrounding the different sectors of the financial services industry. This opportunity has allowed me to learn about how a financial firm operates regarding its sectors of investment management, tax services, financial planning, and client services.
“Through learning all about the financial services industry during the day, and inquiring about trade, the economy, defense, security, environment, and other important policy areas during the seminars at night, I hope to discover my niche and focus my Gettysburg College studies on economics and data science to a career I am passionate about.”
Elijah Williams ’23
Major: Health Sciences
Minor: Africana Studies
Cleveland Browns (NFL) – Berea, Ohio
“This experience has taught me plenty of techniques used to treat and prevent injury in athletes - in this case, NFL players. I’ve become familiar with how the NFL works as a league, and I’ve continued to learn how to be a productive worker in fast-paced, professional environments.
“I am hoping to use this as a learning experience to prepare me for what is to come next. Whether or not I’ll continue working in professional athletic training rooms, I’ve gained valuable insight on how the workforce operates, especially in athletics. During my final year at Gettysburg, I will definitely know more about the ins-and-outs of the training room and may try working there during my off-seasons.”
By Corey Jewart
Photos courtesy of featured students
Posted: 08/12/22
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