How MSU students make the most of their summer internships

When school presses pause for the summer semester, many students plunge into internships related to their course of study.

While these internships may be degree requirements or ways to make money, MSU students are making sure they get the most out of them.The main components Spartans look to gain from internships are experience and knowledge, as they offer a lot of hands-on experience and industry know-how that classrooms can't quite replicate.

Turf management senior Tyler Hild has an internship at the Boston Golf Club in Massachusetts, a top 100 course in the U.S., where he is spending much of his time spraying, fertilizing and getting to know the industry.

"It doesn't really matter what you do, but being able to do an internship… it just really gives a person an opportunity to learn and get better at doing something they love before they actually enter the workforce," Hild said.

Internships also provide opportunities to learn outside of a regular job's mundane logistics. Accounting and economics senior Ximena Flores Ortiz has learned valuable organizational skills, network building and how to go beyond her comfort zone at her internship with the accounting firm, KPMG.

"I for sure have been able to improve my confidence when it comes to talking to other people and how to present yourself too," Flores Ortiz said. "Especially in this internship, they want you to be connecting with all the employees."

Flores Ortiz is in KPMG's Embark Scholars Program, which allows interns to rotate through the different company departments. By the end of her internship, Flores Ortiz will get to explore the advisory, tax and audit areas of the business; the variety will help her choose what's best for her moving forward.

"It gives you also the confidence to know if this is something that you would like to do for the next 20 years of your life, or if it's maybe something that you just like to try and not want to see again," Flores Ortiz said.

Besides networking and experiencing day-to-day life, criminal justice senior Megan Schedrzer, who is completing an internship in the legal field doing pretrial services, emphasized the importance of asking questions and exploring everything an internship has to offer.

"The office where I'm working is the courthouse, and there's a few different offices, especially on our floor," Schedrzer said. "I usually try to get my hands dirty anywhere I can in terms of that. So, I try to help out (anywhere) I can, or I go watch trials if I can. I don't just stay sitting at my desk all day."

Internships are a great way to travel, build resumes, gain experience and expand a network- and with an open mind and positive attitude, they can simply be fun.

"I'm having a great time out here and being able to work with the guys I work with and getting to know everyone," Hild said. "Being in a new area and kind of thinking outside of the box in certain aspects, it's really enjoyable."