Summer 2022 internships: What did students learn?
From nonprofits to investment firms, Business Niners spent the summer applying skills learned in the classroom and getting real-world experience.
As they prepare to return to campus for the fall semester, four Belk College undergraduate students shared these details about their internship takeaways:
Promotional strategy at Kohl’s
National retail chain Kohl’s hired senior marketing major Bridget Summerlee to work as a Promotional Strategy Intern. She spent her summer at the corporation’s headquarters just outside of Milwaukee, Wis.
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What did you enjoy most about your internship? “I’ve enjoyed working in marketing at Kohl’s because I get to interact with cross functional partners on a daily basis, from pricing to insights to creative teams. Everyone is always willing to share their experiences and it’s helped me expand my knowledge immensely.”
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What is something unique you’ve worked on this summer? “Working on promotional strategy, we see every promotion come to life from start to finish. I get exposure to each step of the process from helping draft a content brief for our partners, reviewing the creative, seeing the coupon active, and then analyzing its success after the event. It’s quite rewarding.”
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How has the Belk College prepared you for your internship experience? “Even outside of the classroom, the Belk College of Business has played a pivotal role in the success of my career. The professional development resources from the Niblock Student Center taught me about resumes, interviews, and networking to help me land this internship and be successful.”
Private equity analysis 
Finance major Pranav Jain interned with RC Capital, a healthcare-focused private equity firm in Raleigh. He learned about the Private Equity Summer Analyst position by networking with employees of the firm.
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What professional skills have you developed during the internship? “I have expanded my financial modeling and due diligence skills over the course of my internship.”
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What have you learned in the classroom that you’ve applied to your internship experience? “I have applied financial concepts from class. For example, I now have firsthand experience with capital structure/weighted average cost of capital (WACC), as well as the accounting concepts of analyzing financial statements to conduct due diligence on potential investment opportunities for RC Capital’s $300 million Fund VII.”
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What did you enjoy most about your internship? “I enjoyed learning about various up-and-coming healthcare companies and working with passionate entrepreneurs to grow their ventures.”
Nonprofit marketing
Through a class project and networking, marketing major Destiny Faggart learned about an opportunity at the Metrolina Association for the Blind (MAB), a nonprofit that provides rehabilitation services to people who are visually impaired or blind. Based in Charlotte, Destiny helped the organization refresh its marketing materials, including e-newsletters, social media, and print pieces.
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How did you learn about the internship? “I learned about this internship through networking. During a practicum course for the Business Honors Program from this past academic year, my classmates and I were divided into teams to act as consultants for nonprofit organizations in Charlotte. Following my team’s project with First Gen Success, I continued to stay in touch with the founder, who connected me to the Metrolina Association for the Blind. Now, I am now the Marketing and Communications Intern at MAB.”
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What have you learned in the classroom that you’ve applied to your internship experience? “In the classroom, I have learned to think like a problem-solver, work as a team, and communicate effectively. I have applied all three of these skills in my internship experience through consulting-like tasks that require me to improve a current marketing strategy, discuss with leaders, and use teamwork to turn an idea into reality.”
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What do you enjoy most about your internship? “I enjoy that I am constantly learning how to be a better marketer. Through my internship with MAB, I am learning a lot about creating accessible content for individuals experiencing blindness or visual impairment. I also enjoy working for a company with an impactful mission to provide services and empower people who are blind or visually impaired.”
Commercial real estate analysis
Management and finance double major Matthew Morton worked for Pickett Sprouse Commercial Real Estate in Durham this summer. As a Commercial Real Estate Data Analysis intern, he spent the summer creating more efficient processes for the firm while getting an inside look at commercial real estate transactions.
- What professional skills have you developed during the internship? “Teamwork and collaboration, time management, project management, networking in a professional setting, data analysis, and learning to use and understand Property Management software.”
- What have you learned in the classroom that you’ve applied to your internship experience? “Some skills that I have taken from the classroom to my internship are business and client communication, the use of Excel, and gaining real world experience with clients and other professionals in the workplace. I have seen financial investment topics and formulas in practical situations when I have been analyzing sales and lease data in the triangle area for commercial and residential investment properties.”
- What is something unique you’ve done/worked on this summer? “I have participated in and gained knowledge about the process of property inspections, as well as created and implemented systems to make property inspections more efficient. I also have been working with a commercial real estate broker to create a commercial real estate offering memorandum through analyzing commercial and residential real estate transactions. This has led to learning and practicing client prospecting and acquisition for the firm. Lastly, I have been at the forefront of implementing and transitioning clients to an all electronic payment system for the property management firm.”