Check Out Nine Really Cool Internships that Michigan Ross MBA Students Completed This Summer

The largest internship employers for students in the Michigan Ross Full-Time MBA Program this summer were in consulting and tech. In fact, five of the largest hiring companies for Ross MBA interns were Bain, Amazon, EY/Parthenon, Deloitte, and Boston Consulting Group.

From advancing work on the COVID-19 vaccine to developing sustainable retail strategies, these students managed projects and initiatives that allowed them to gain new skills, perspectives, and experiences. Below, get an inside look into nine of the coolest internships students completed this summer, how Michigan Ross and alumni helped enhance their experience, their advice to students considering similar internships, and more. 

Justin Rufen-Blanchette, MBA ’22

Interned with Nike - Strategy MBA Intern - Global Operations & Technology

What did you do at your internship?

I defined the strategic benchmarks for Nike's Purpose Target of spending $1 billion with minority-owned partners by 2025. This project required that I get buy-in from critical internal stakeholders while leading external meetings with Fortune 500 executives representing best-in-class diversity programs. 

How did Ross alumni support you?

The Ross alumni network was critical to my success. Without them, I don’t know if I would be in the position I am in today. Countless alums answered my calls/emails without any prior relationships with me beside the “M” on my resume. I am forever grateful to this community. 

Why did you want to intern at this company or in this role?

I came to Michigan Ross to become a leader in digital strategy at the crossroads of sports and technology - Nike is at the pinnacle of both. Furthermore, I wanted to be a part of a company that plays a lasting role in my community. A company that isn’t afraid to be at the forefront of critical issues and create change despite the fact that it may influence their bottom line. After spending my summer with Nike, I can honestly say they walk the walk and I had an amazing time contributing to their impact.

Megha Savla, MBA ’22

Interned with Boston Children's Hospital - MBA Intern - Innovation and Digital Health Accelerator

What did you do at your internship? 

This summer, I interned at the Innovation and Digital Health Accelerator at Boston Children's Hospital. I split my time working on projects in remote patient monitoring strategy and conducting market intelligence and sourcing for the accelerator. It was a great mix of exposure to investing and implementation of digital health at a healthcare provider.

How did Ross prepare you for your internship?

Ross prepared me to both secure my internship and helped me develop the skills I needed to excel in my internship. Through the Career Development Office and the FACT Group curriculum, I was able to successfully recruit totally off-campus. I was well prepared to network throughout the year and learned the interview skills necessary to secure my dream internship. Through classes at Ross, in strategy and MAP, I was able to gain the theoretical experience I needed to become a contributor on my team. 

What tips would you give to someone else wanting to intern in this industry?

If you're interested in a career in digital health, I'd recommend staying up to date and knowledgeable on trends in the industry. The healthcare industry is rapidly changing, and it's helpful to have informed opinions on major trends and changes in the industry. My other recommendation is to reach out to people in digital health to learn more about what exactly you want to do. The changing environment has opened the door for so many interesting opportunities and business school is the perfect time to explore your options and find your perfect fit.

Dimitri Esteban Alejo Giraldo, MBA ’22

Founded Creating Who You Are

What did you do at your internship?

Rather than working for a company in a specific role, I decided to launch my own startup and test its product-market fit. My venture is an online educational platform for Latin America that teaches how to unlock and create our truest self (a life with purpose) through consciousness and spirituality practices. I tested different assumptions, validated market needs, learned more about my customer, and designed a first product iteration.

What did you enjoy the most?

What I enjoyed the most (and I'm also grateful about) was that I allowed myself to follow my dreams, surf uncertainty, and create a new reality. At the same time, I'm very grateful that Ross offers this opportunity of working on your own venture by giving academic approval, funding, and mentors.

What tips would you give to someone else wanting to intern in this industry?

The summer internship is an opportunity to not only get a fantastic offer from an amazing company, but also follow and awaken your deepest passions and truest purpose. Therefore, if you “feel” this could be for you, at least allow yourself to learn more about this type of internship. This is a safety net to experiment and learn, and there is nothing more fulfilling than being who you truly are.

Joe Holmes, MBA ’22

Interned with ZX Ventures - Growth Equity Fund Intern

What did you do at your internship?

This summer, I interned at ZX Ventures – the venture capital arm of Anheuser Busch InBev. Working with the fund’s partners, I created an investment strategy for their thesis around the “Future of Socializing” – a new approach that targets growth-stage technology startups within sports, media, and entertainment. After researching these market landscapes, I led the deal sourcing and due diligence efforts and, ultimately, presented active deals to ZX Ventures’ investment committee and ABI’s C-Suite.

What did you enjoy the most?

I thoroughly enjoyed getting closer to startups and understanding the criteria of what makes a high-growth and high-potential company. Speaking directly with founders was a powerful learning experience. I developed a much greater appreciation for building a business by hearing founders’ stories and getting under the hood of their growing operations.

What tips would you give to someone else wanting to intern in this industry?

The best advice I received while recruiting for venture capital was this: Pick an industry you are passionate about and form a point of view. Venture capital is inherently uncertain, so firms are looking for candidates who can make strong, logical arguments about the future of an industry. You don’t need a crystal ball, but come prepared to your conversations with well-researched opinions about your market of interest and its exciting startups!

Alexis Lopez Medina MBA/MS ’22 

Interned with Starbucks Corp. - Product Management MBA Intern

Why did you want to intern at this company or in this role?

Family and community have always been crucial components of every chapter in my life. The entire process - from the initial conversation with a recruiter to the interviews for this specific role - showed me that Starbucks also valued and actively worked on instilling these values into its culture. I knew that any MBA internship would be a challenge. I also realized, however, that not every company would truly live these values that I was looking for. Because Starbucks did, accepting the internship offer was an easy decision. 

What did you enjoy the most?

The team that I was placed into was one that had a culture which encouraged challenging perspectives and asking questions. For me, this was ideal as it is how I best learn. By asking many questions initially, I got to a place where I felt comfortable chiming in and challenging other partners to approach problems through different lenses. That said another way, I actually felt like a part of the team and not just a summer intern.

How did Ross alumni support you?

A major highlight of the summer was the support from Ross alumni. Whether it was helping with my summer project, connecting me with people from other areas in the company to further explore what a career at Starbucks could look like, or talking about what life in Seattle is like, the Ross alumni network was there for every step. Even more refreshing was that the majority of these alumni reached out after the internship ended and offered to keep in touch and help connect me with people in their network.

Vivian Kalumbi MBA/MA ’22

Interned with Merck - Global Vaccines Strategy Intern 

What did you enjoy the most about your internship?

I really enjoyed the multidisciplinary and cross-team approach involved in decision-making during my internship. It was truly global and collaborative; I was working with individuals from Merck’s U.S. headquarters, but also regional leaders in Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe. I interfaced with the vaccine brand teams, as well as finance, market access, public policy, medical affairs/research, and data teams to inform my work. It showcased the complexities of an industry directly influencing public health outcomes, complexities that I found exciting to take on.

Why did you want to intern at this company or in this role?

Ironically, I applied for this internship before the development of a COVID vaccine and the focus on vaccine hesitancy.  

First, I have always admired Merck as a company due to their vaccines and respiratory illness contributions. They developed the combination vaccine to prevent measles, mumps, and rubella, and cervical cancer, in addition to funding the research that led to tuberculosis treatment and development of Singulair for asthma relief. 

Second, I wanted to expand my knowledge of the healthcare industry by venturing into biopharmaceuticals, while also exploring strategy as a career. This role was a perfect fit on these accounts. 

What tips would you give to someone else wanting to intern in this industry?

Be hungry and open to learning. You are not expected to know everything on day one, but you are expected and encouraged to ask questions. This is particularly important as the pharmaceutical space is very intricate and undergoing tremendous change due to COVID and rapid technological developments in not only vaccines, but several therapeutic areas, as well as constantly changing government regulations, political climates, and societal attitudes. 

Heeseung Kim, MBA/MS ’22

Interned with Detroit Venture Partners, Bloomscape - Summer Venture Capital Fellow

What did you do at your internship?

Through DVP's summer VC fellowship program, I was able to split my time between DVP and one of their portfolio companies, Bloomscape, an ecommerce company based in Detroit that sells plants directly to consumers. At DVP, I participated in education sessions to learn more about the VC industry, interacted with guest speakers who had started their own companies or worked in VC, and developed my own investment thesis on a topic of my choosing (I dove into the alternative seafood space). On the days I was with Bloomscape, I worked with their marketing team on a variety of projects, from developing a digital marketing campaign for the fall to addressing whatever challenges arose along the way.

What did you enjoy the most?

VC can be a notoriously opaque industry, especially for someone who's switching careers (as I am), so I really appreciated the opportunity to deepen my understanding of the industry. I also loved getting hands-on experience working with a growing startup. My experience this summer reinforced what drew me to VC to begin with: the chance to support young businesses even as I continue to learn and grow myself. I'm also thrilled I was able to go to Detroit and learn about the amazing work DVP and others have been doing to build a community of entrepreneurs in their city.

What tips would you give to someone else wanting to intern in this industry?

It can be hard to reach out to people and get conversations started, but it’s worth it. I was able to build a community of peers and mentors who were interested in the same spaces as I was (specifically, VC and impact). That network helped me clarify my goals for the summer. On the more technical side, I found it helpful to learn as much as I could about the VC industry prior to interning: I participated in the  student-run Social Venture Fund, and took relevant courses both at Ross and online, such as Venture Deals, which helped me feel more prepared going into conversations and interviews.

Mallory Leibowitz, MBA ’22

Interned with IDEO - Business Design

What did you do at your internship?

This summer I interned at the innovation and design consulting firm IDEO as a business design intern. I was staffed on a multidisciplinary team with UX researchers, interaction designers, and software designers to help our client identify a new product or service to launch. Day-to-day, there was a mix of highly collaborative work, where our team was interviewing target customers or designing workshops for the client, and moments of individual work, where I'd conduct competitive research or a market sizing that I'd share back with the team.

What did you enjoy the most?

My favorite part of interning at IDEO was the culture of creativity and experimentation. Every week, my team scheduled an hour of playtime where we'd do activities like digital collaging, playing with legos, and a virtual immersive audio experience. These activities helped me embrace ambiguity, brought the team closer together, and created moments for the team to be inspired in our daily roles.

Why did you want to intern at this company or in this role?

I first learned about design thinking in undergrad and I came to business school with the hope that if I could better speak the language of business, then I could be a better advocate for users during decision making. By interning at IDEO, a human-centered design firm, I got to learn from experts how to put desirability (are we addressing a user's problem?), viability (does the idea make sense for the organization?), and feasibility (does the organization have the capabilities to see through the vision?) into practice.

Anya Shapiro, MS/MBA ’22 

Interned with Under Armour - Sustainability Fellow - Product & Operations

What did you do at your internship? 

I helped Under Armour explore developing a consumer-facing takeback program to reduce product waste, improve customer experience, and drive profitability for the brand. My day-to-day involved meeting with key leaders to understand opportunities and barriers, identifying strategies with the highest ROI and sustainability impact, engaging potential partners, and leading internal consensus-building efforts around ideal program structure and goals. There wasn’t a single day where I didn’t put into practice something I learned in my business school — whether that was operations, strategy, marketing, leading people, or accounting.

What did you enjoy the most?

One of the best experiences was leading a cross-functional working group of over 10 business units, including legal, procurement, marketing, product, and more, to discuss ways to structure the program to drive maximum impact for the planet and the brand. It was so unique to be working on such a cross-disciplinary and high-impact project that affected so many aspects of the business. I saw the 360-degree perspective of how the program could address customer needs and fulfill multiple business objectives simultaneously.

What tips would you give to someone else wanting to intern in this industry?

This internship was hosted through the Environmental Defense Fund's Climate Corps program, a selective program that matches graduate students with companies, government agencies, and nonprofits to work on cutting-edge energy and sustainability projects. Whether you are considering a full-time career in sustainability or simply hoping to understand how companies are thinking about complex challenges like climate change, I can’t recommend this program enough. My second piece of advice would be to embrace ambiguity. Finding new solutions to old problems takes creativity, humility, and a good sense of humor.

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