The summer is a perfect time for many of Bryant University’s students to trade the classroom for the workplace and gain experience to complement their studies through an internship. For this year’s class of Summer Internship Fellows, a little assistance makes gaining that experience a lot easier.

Offered through Bryant’s nationally-recognized Amica Center for Career Education, the Summer Internship Fellowships provide financial aid that empowers students to pursue high-level internships that only provide a small stipend or are unpaid – allowing them to explore career options, learn more about a prospective field, and develop the skills they'll need for success.

That advantage can be a game-changer. “With my Summer Internship Fellowship experience, I hope to gain networking opportunities, learn more about game day operations, and enjoy my time doing so,” states Team and Project Management major Rebecca Kaminskas ’23, who will be spending the summer with the Lancaster Barnstormers semi-pro baseball team. “It will help me in the future by preparing me for what’s to come and to get a leg-up in knowing the job and the people involved,” she says.

“These 11 students have demonstrated their commitment to gaining direct experience that will help them prepare for their futures.”

The road to success
This year, the 11 students awarded fellowships will be working in a wide variety of businesses and organizations, including government offices, nonprofits, the sports industry, and start-ups. Representing both Bryant’s College of Business and College of Arts and Sciences, as well as a wide range of majors, the Fellows were selected by a panel of faculty, administrators, and Amica Center staff based on how their internship experiences will help them prepare for the future. 

2021 Summer Internship Fellowship recipients: 

• Destiny Andrade ’22 will be interning as an Event Assistant at New England Invitations & PDR Events 
• Sara Anselmo ’23 (Amica Center Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Fellowship recipient) will be interning at the nonprofit Girls, Inc. as a Marketing Intern
• Samantha Eastman ’23 will be interning at the Chanticleer Garden Center as a Social Media and Digital Marketing Intern  
• Dayton Hamele ‘22 (Leger R. Morrison Summer Internship Fellowship recipient) will be interning at Reef Relief, a nature education center 
• Rebecca Kaminskas ‘23 will be working as a Game Day Intern for the Lancaster Barnstormers, a semi-pro baseball team 
• Nina Karlin ‘24 (Sheryl Crowley ’60 Memorial Summer Internship Fellowship recipient) will be working as a Marketing Intern for a Councilman in Jerusalem, Israel 
• Julianne Korza ‘22 will be a Sales & Marketing Intern for the Valley Blue Sox semi-pro baseball team 
• Kiersten Laramee ‘21 will be interning with EGN Consulting, an event consulting company, as a Marketing and Event Coordinator 
• Shannon O'Connor ’22 will be working as a Policy Intern with the Rhode Island State Government  
• Joshua Taylor ‘22 will intern as a Strategic Social Media Content Developer at fitness startup StackTrax 
• Zachary Zambarano ‘23 will be interning with the Rhode Island State Government as a Government Policy Intern

“The Fellowships aid students in pursuing perfect fit opportunities that might have been difficult to come by otherwise,” says Amy Ames, Amica Center Career Coach and Summer Internship Fellowship Coordinator. She notes the selection process was especially competitive this year. “These 11 students have demonstrated their commitment to gaining direct experience that will help them prepare for their futures.”

““Since my sophomore year of high school, it has been a dream of mine to work behind the scenes in event planning management at a baseball stadium. With regard to my future career, my goal is to provide people with the ultimate fan experience; I want to provide them with the joy I feel when I go to games."

Summer Internship Fellow Zachary Zambarano ’23, who is majoring in both Accounting and Politics and Law, will be using his interning with the Rhode Island state government as an opportunity to apply his Bryant education to the real world. “My upcoming internship combines my two passions into one program,” he explains. “It incorporates my passion for politics and law by helping me to understand how policy is formed in the early stages as I formulate a policy that I want to see implemented and see it through to the Congress floor. it also incorporates my passion for accounting and finance in that I will be forming budgets and expenses.” 

Experience that counts
The Fellowships exemplify the Amica Center’s mission to help Bryant students discover their passions and pursue rewarding and meaningful careers. The Center offers career and internship fairs throughout the year, as well as an online jobs board full of opportunities and connections, one-on-one career coaching, and a wide range of other resources.

Over 90% of Bryant’s students engage in experiential learning opportunities, 80% of which are internships. Through their Fellowship experiences, students can test the skills and knowledge they’ve learned in the classroom in a professional environment and work toward finding a career that matches their aspirations and abilities while building invaluable industry relationships.

“Girls Inc. of Lowell has been operating for over 100 years and has changed the lives of so many girls. I am so excited to help with that. This is a great way to learn the ins and outs while making a difference, too.”

The internships students pursue through their Fellowships are often stepping stones to dream careers. “It is my long-term goal to have a career in a nonprofit and this is a great way to learn the ins and outs while making a difference, too,” says Marketing major Sara Anselmo ’21, who will be spending the summer as a marketing intern with Girls, inc., a non-profit organization that works to empower and inspire girls and young women. “I hope to learn about effective marketing tactics through many different avenues, and to learn about the way a nonprofit operates through working with the Executive Director. I know these skills will help me immensely,” she says.

“Since my sophomore year of high school, it has been a dream of mine to work behind the scenes in event planning management at a baseball stadium,” Kaminskas notes. “With regard to my future career, my goal is to provide people with the ultimate fan experience; I want to provide them with the joy I feel when I go to games.”

Helping out
In a difficult time, the Fellowships can also help organizations that need assistance. “As businesses and organizations reopen, these Fellowships can help them find smart, talented, and driven students who can help them restart and re-establish their footing,” notes Ames. “Everyone wins: the students, the organizations, and their communities.”

“The faculty and staff on the committee want students to learn as much as they can and want to provide a foundation for students to succeed in their internship which can bring them success in the future.” 

Anselmo is excited by the opportunity to gain a competitive edge while also doing good. “I am passionate about helping others, especially when it comes to empowering women and young girls,” she says. “Girls Inc. of Lowell has been operating for over 100 years and has changed the lives of so many girls. I am so excited to help with that.”

The Fellowships also take a little bit of pressure off the students to find a higher paying position, “The Summer Internship Fellowship is a great program because even though my internship is a great experience, it is unpaid, which means all the housing, food, and travel expenses are on me," states Kaminskas. "This Fellowship provides aid in covering these expenses so there is less to worry about and more time to focus on my internship overall”

“With this Fellowship, I can support myself and the organization I’m interning with without having to worry about finances, and also get ready for my future,” says Zambarano. “The faculty and staff on the committee want students to learn as much as they can and want to provide a foundation for students to succeed in their internship which can bring them success in the future.”