Experience That Matters

Analyzing data to power businesses. Caring for patients. Making city transportation safer and more accessible. This past summer, Tars near and far put their Rollins education to work in the world and harnessed life-changing, career-defining opportunities to discover what drives them.

These transformative experiences are an integral part of Rollins’ signature approach to preparing students for meaningful lives and productive careers. According to a National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) Job Outlook Survey, one of the top qualities employers look for in new hires is prior internship experience, and the survey reported that 69 percent of interns were offered full-time positions by their employers.

For many of these students, Rollins’ Gateway Fellows Program helped make their summer internships possible by providing financial support that enabled them to pursue hands-on experiences in their fields of interest.

As last spring gave way to summer, we asked students to keep us in the loop as they embarked on their summer experiences. Here are a few of our favorite internship stories from summer 2026.

Environmental studies major Bella MacDonald ’27 worked with the City of Orlando’s Transportation Department as a transportation planning and policy intern, supporting initiatives designed to make transportation safer, more accessible, and more connected. Working closely with the city’s Vision Zero team, she contributed to projects focused on safe mobility and micromobility, including a wildlife-crossing policy, pedestrian safety analysis, and the city’s E-Bike Pilot Program.

MacDonald drew directly on skills and experiences from her Rollins coursework, including a capstone project that used ArcGIS to analyze black-bear collisions. The internship also gave her a firsthand look at careers in public service while working alongside Rollins environmental studies alum Laura Hardwicke ’11, now a safe mobility manager with the City of Orlando.

“This experience showed me how directly I can apply what I’ve learned at Rollins to real-world challenges,” says MacDonald. “Working on projects ranging from wildlife crossings to pedestrian safety to bike mobility helped me see the many paths available to me and gave me confidence that I can build a career that combines my interests in sustainability, research, and public service.”

Mathematics major Mei Bao-He ’26 and international business major Ryan Bradshaw ’27 ’28MBA both interned with Massey Services as business analyst interns, gaining hands-on experience applying data analysis and project management to real-world business challenges.

Bao-He analyzed business processes using Excel and Power BI, evaluating a customer churn model, building an online sales dashboard connected to an SQL database, and analyzing a new marketing email initiative—an experience that reinforced her interest in becoming a statistical analyst.

“I wanted to see how the skills I was learning in the classroom, like data analysis and statistics, could apply to a future career,” says Bao-He. “In the classroom, we learn the theory behind models and how to code with clean data. My internship showed me the nuances of working in a corporate setting, where theory has to be adapted to fit messier, real-world conditions. One of my biggest takeaways is that the analysis itself is only half the job. The harder and more important part is pulling out the takeaways that a business can actually use to make a decision or evaluate whether something is working.”

Bradshaw worked with Massey’s project management team, developing project charters for internal initiatives while building on his concentration in business analytics through the 3/2 Accelerated MBA program.

“One of my biggest takeaways has been learning to stay adaptable,” says Bradshaw. “In project management, staying on schedule for each milestone is the goal, but setbacks are inevitable. Learning how to plan proactively while also adjusting when circumstances change has been an invaluable lesson.”

Both students connected with Massey through Rollins’ Spring 2026 Career Fair and received mentorship from fellow mathematics major Qian (Nichole) Li ’20, now a commercial and marketing analyst at Massey.

Business management major Evan Larson ’27 ’28MBA spent the summer getting a taste of what it takes to make a global brand fizz as a summer sales intern with PepsiCo.

Larson applied for the internship after connecting with the PepsiCo team at Rollins’ Career Expo the previous fall. In the role, he sold incremental displays for PepsiCo’s Publix and Dollar Tree accounts, using advertising activity and sales metrics to identify opportunities and speaking with store managers to understand their needs and customers. The experience allowed him to apply the skills he developed in his Rollins classes to a real-world business setting.

“In my classes, we talk a lot about using data metrics to make decisions, so it’s been great seeing how that works in practice,” shares Larson. “Because Rollins focuses so much on open-mindedness and unique perspectives, it was really easy for me to connect and interact with all different kinds of people on the job, from store employees to managers. The presentation and teamwork skills I learned in school also helped me succeed.”

International business major Taylor Evans ’28 put her finance concentration to work as an investor relations intern at Unifi Asset Management LP in New York City, an opportunity she discovered through the Kathleen W. Rollins Women in Finance program. She supported institutional capital raising efforts through investor onboarding and fundraising, prepared quarterly reports, and coordinated investor communications.

“Working at a global hedge fund has allowed me to see how financial markets, economic trends, and cross-border investor relationships intersect,” says Evans. “Unifi’s international presence has given me firsthand exposure to the global nature of the investment industry, reinforcing the concepts I’ve studied in class with courses like Financial Markets and Institutions and Financial and Managerial Accounting, which prepared me to shadow the chief financial officer. Connecting classroom concepts to real-world experiences has made what I’m learning more meaningful.”

Sydney Nickel ’27, a biochemistry/molecular biology major with a minor in global health, interned as a sterilization technician at Pediatric Dentistry of Winter Park. She prepared treatment rooms, assisted with procedures and dental imaging, and sterilized instruments—work that drew directly on knowledge and skills from coursework in microbiology and microbial physiology.

For Nickel, who recently applied to dental school, the internship offered a firsthand look at life in a dental practice and ultimately inspired her to pursue pediatric dentistry as a specialty.

“Using an autoclave to sterilize instruments felt immediately familiar from my lab courses, but applying that knowledge with real patients and real stakes made it click in a new way,” says Nickel. “Seeing how much a child’s early dental experiences can shape their comfort with oral health care showed me that pediatric dentistry is the career I want to pursue.”

Nora VanDerMeid ’27, a double major in marine biology and critical media and cultural studies, spent her summer on the east coast of Florida as an education intern for the Florida Oceanographic Society, where she assisted with animal feedings and led daily educational programs about stingrays, sharks, turtles, fish, and the environmental issues facing Florida.

“I’ve always wanted to go into outreach education, specifically in the marine biology field, so this internship aligned with so many of my career goals,” says ⁠VanDerMeid. “Last year, I conducted research with [biology professor] Dr. Bobby Fokidis on freshwater turtles in Lake Virginia, which gave me valuable hands-on experience handling aquatic animals. The courses I’ve taken with my marine biology professor and advisor, Dr. Fiona Harper, also strengthened my public speaking skills.”

Business management major Claudia Caralps Faro ’27 interned at JOIA Aruba by Iberostar, a luxury all-inclusive resort in Oranjestad, Aruba—an opportunity that allowed her to apply what she has learned in business management courses while gaining experience in different areas like marketing, communications, event planning, and operations.

“Hospitality is one of Aruba’s most important industries, and this experience taught me the importance of adaptability, proactive communication, and looking for solutions instead of simply identifying problems,” says Caralps Faro. “Rollins has encouraged me to think critically, communicate effectively, and approach challenges with curiosity, and those skills really helped me collaborate across teams, manage projects, contribute creative ideas, and take on new responsibilities throughout my internship. My classes gave me a strong foundation in business concepts, while the internship showed me how those concepts are applied in real situations.”

Computer science major Christian Fontanez ’27 joined Versant Media as a software engineer intern, maintaining and updating codebases across multiple websites, including GolfNow. The experience gave him the opportunity to apply skills from his computer science courses while learning to collaborate across a large team, adapt to changing stakeholder needs, and tackle complex real-world projects.

“This internship allowed me to directly apply the programming skills I’ve developed in the classroom while also teaching me that there are no silly questions when you’re working through something as complex as the GolfNow codebase,” says Fontanez. “Rollins helped prepare me for the opportunity, from strengthening my resume to guiding me through the interview process to encouraging me along the way.”

At the conclusion of his internship, Fontanez was offered a full-time position with Versant Media as a software engineer.

Psychology major Carter Ward ’27 spent the summer as a human resources intern at Rosen Hotels & Resorts, where she assisted with hiring and onboarding, screening resumes, coordinating employee engagement initiatives, and more.

“As a psychology major, I’ve studied human behavior, communication, motivation, and relationships, and this internship showed me how those concepts apply to employee relations, recruitment, workplace culture, and engagement,” says Ward. “Rollins also helped me build the confidence to speak publicly, ask questions, collaborate with professionals, and adapt to new situations. Putting those skills into practice has helped me connect my education to a meaningful career and motivated me to continue pursuing HR opportunities after graduation.”

Daniel Hernandez ’26, a political science major with a history minor, interned at the Winter Park History Museum, supporting the museum’s day-to-day operations while conducting historical research and helping prepare and install exhibits. His work ranged from setting up the “America 250th” exhibit to researching Winter Park’s citrus history for an upcoming exhibition.

“I chose this internship because I wanted to bridge the gap between research and presentation,” says Hernandez. “The work that goes into not just making sure that what is written is accurate but also colorful and fun to read has shaped how I understand editorial judgment and what I expect out of myself going forward. This internship has pushed me to consider more research-driven positions in the political science field because effective policymaking begins with careful historical research and analysis long before legislation reaches the floor.”