Q&A: What Eight Michigan Ross MBAs Have to Say About their Cool Internships this Summer

From strategy to sustainability and many other areas in between, Michigan Ross Full-Time MBA students learned valuable takeaways and gained real-world work experience that will benefit them throughout their time at Ross and in their future careers. 

Below, learn what eight students had to say about how their internships relate to their MBA goals, how the Michigan Ross community prepared and supported them, what tips they would give to others interested in their intern industries, and more.  

Harshita Pilla, MBA ’23

Starbucks Coffee Co., global growth and strategy intern 

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

Starbucks has a long-time reputation for being a company that values its employees, as well as sets impact standards (notably sustainability and employment related) for Fortune 500 companies globally. I wanted to work at a company that I felt aligned with my own values but also offered a new experience for me — in this case, introducing me to the retail industry and a company with large brand value.

How did Ross prepare you for your internship? 

Engaging in the multiple consulting-style projects at Ross (MAP, the Living Business Leadership Experience course, Nonprofit Board Fellows, and portfolio consulting within the Social Venture Fund) helped me gain experience in working within ambiguous situations while still delivering high-quality work (similar to my internship scope this summer). Furthermore, my MAP project with Whole Foods Market/Amazon gave me direct exposure to the food and beverage industry, which served as useful industry context when working at Starbucks.

How did this internship relate to your MBA goals at Michigan Ross? 

I came to Ross specifically looking to transition out of my previous project manager operational role and into a more strategic capacity. During my MBA, I heavily invested my time in the social impact and strategy fields, and really wanted to find a way to merge my interests in the built environment, especially considering my dual degree in urban planning with a strategy position. This role at Starbucks within their store development strategy team allowed me to utilize my previous experience in real estate while applying it through a different functional role. 

How did Ross alumni support you? 

The Ross alumni network at Starbucks is surprisingly strong. One of my biggest supporters (and friends) at Starbucks is a Ross alum and she has truly made it a priority to help me find success in the team and in the greater organization. It's been so exciting to experience the tight-knit alumni network for myself over these past few months and I'm looking forward to contributing to it when I jump back to my career full-time!

Michael Lee, MBA ’23

DICK's Sporting Goods, strategy and innovation intern

What did you enjoy the most?

I enjoyed working on a project that DSG's executive team deemed a strategic priority — thus making their leadership team invested in my project and inclined to provide ample support throughout the summer. My project was to build a strategy for one of the fast-growing sports (pickleball) for DSG, and the project's culmination had me delivering recommendations to the executive chairman, CEO, and other executive leaders. The highlight of that final presentation was when the executive chairman told me, "When you visit our stores in the future, you will see a lot of changes because of the recommendations you delivered today."

How did this internship relate to your MBA goals at Michigan Ross?

This internship checked the box for three career-related goals I had:  

• Being on a team of people I enjoy working with and being around;
• Getting meaningful learning and growth opportunities;
• Thoroughly enjoying the content of my work.

How did Ross alumni support you?

Jane Roberts, MBA ’20, advised me during the internship interviewing process and was my intern manager over the summer. Jane's generosity/support was instrumental in making my internship as enjoyable as it was. Another Ross alumni, Deepak Padmanabhan, MBA ’18, is a leader within the DSG strategy organization and provided me with timely project, career, and Ross advice.

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

Do your homework and go above and beyond interviewing basics. You can exceed expectations by talking to multiple people in the position you are interviewing for; listening to investor calls and reading annual reports; forming your own point-of-view of the company's most critical topics; and staying up-to-date on emerging news.

Supreya Kesavan, MBA ’24 

Apple Inc., environment and supply chain innovation intern

What did you enjoy the most? 

I loved being on the ground! I was able to see first-hand how items were received and sorted. My team even took me to visit some of the tier 1 recyclers and was able to see how the products are shredded. Think a lot of massive machines that shred products as large as refrigerators without any dismantling. 

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

Since I am pursuing the MBA/MS dual degree in environmental science, I wanted a role that would allow me to truly experience the intersection. I came in with the thesis of testing an operations/supply chain focused role, so this allowed me to do so while also understanding the complexities of working in an environment/sustainability focused function. In addition, this role was housed in the environment group at Apple which was important for me because I wanted to understand what working in this space could look like.

How did Ross alumni support you? 

From the moment I got the interview, I sent out a call to the Consortium for Graduate Management Studies and Erb Institute alumni asking if they knew anyone that worked at Apple. I was immediately connected to a recent Ross grad who personally helped me prep for hours, provided me with advice, and helped me celebrate. I’m very thankful to have had Ross alumni backing me through the entire process.

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

The advice I received this summer is to continue to work in the space and to build strong expertise in a functional area. For example, if you know you want to work in sustainable operations, gaining strong operations and industry knowledge may serve you well in a transition to a more sustainability focused role. However, there are so many paths to take. I personally believe that having both a strong environmental science and business background uniquely positioned me to bring new perspectives to this position.

Anna Norman, MBA ’23

Carhartt Inc., sustainable operations intern

What did you do on a day-to-day basis at your internship? 

On a day-to-day basis I worked on measuring Carhartt’s greenhouse gas emissions from their operations and setting a sustainability strategy. This summer was Carhartt’s first attempt at measuring the emissions associated with their owned operations and also their entire supply chain, both upstream and downstream. My work helped to inform where we had data gaps and where the emissions hotspots were in the supply chain, with the goal of using that information to set the company sustainability strategy and decarbonization roadmap.

What did you enjoy the most? 

I most enjoyed being part of a new team at a very old company (established 1889). With the sustainability team being created within the past year, I was able to see how formal sustainability work is introduced at a company, how workflows shift, and how a new team can position itself to show value for the organization. It was exciting to be a part of strategy setting and launching brand new corporate initiatives!

What is one lesson you learned from your internship? 

A key lesson from my internship was the need for better, more reliable consumer communication and education around sustainable apparel. In reviewing the results from some consumer insights surveys and focus groups, I learned that many consumers want to make more sustainable fashion decisions, but they don’t really know the right path. With the amount of greenwashing currently going on in the industry, consumers feel confused and skeptical. I’m left wondering what the best way forward is to help consumers make more sustainable fashion choices. Will they be able to rely on trusted brands or is some government oversight needed to address greenwashing and bogus sustainability claims?

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

I wanted to intern at Carhartt because they prioritize worker protection and product durability. In the current climate of overconsumption of clothing and fast fashion, I appreciate Carhartt’s commitment to functionality, timeless design, and long-lasting garments. With the apparel industry being responsible for 5% to 10% of global GHG emissions, tackling overconsumption and repositioning business models for durability and circularity are critical to addressing the climate crisis. As those concepts are already central to Carhartt’s DNA, I felt that a role supporting the company’s sustainability transformation would be educational and rewarding. 

Madeleine Cuddy, MBA ’23

Spotify, product management intern

What did you do on a day-to-day basis at your internship? 

I interned with Spotify for Artists, working to connect artists and fans on Spotify. I helped lead product strategy for my team, partnering cross-functionally with engineering, design, data insights, and legal to build and scale revenue opportunities for 8M artists.

What did you enjoy the most? 

I loved the mission and team culture. Helping artists earn a living is important to me — I grew up studying music, then worked in product and marketing at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s in-house record label, Blue Engine Records. And the people at Spotify for Artists are incredible — collaborative, creative, and passionate.

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

Coming from the nonprofit entertainment space, I was looking to learn more about audio streaming and the for-profit side of the industry. Spotify is helping to connect artists with fans at a really exciting scale, with 433M MAUs. I was also familiar with the power of Spotify for Artists's product features and data tools — from a label and artist management perspective — from my time at Blue Engine Records.

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

Keep up to date with emerging trends in entertainment and streaming, and have informed opinions about where companies should prioritize and invest. I would also recommend plugging into our Entertainment & Media Club's community and programming, which spans both on and off campus.

Christian Warner, MBA ’23

New Summit Investments LLC, summer associate 

What did you do on a day-to-day basis at your internship? 

This summer I interned at New Summit Investments, a venture capital fund-of-funds strategy that invests in impact-related funds. Working with the fund's partners, I helped refine New Summit’s investment thesis, and later led deal sourcing and due diligence efforts on potential investments, ultimately presenting potential deals to the investment committee.  

What did you enjoy the most? 

Venture capital is a unique industry in that it is extremely multifaceted. There are different types of roles and positions within funds, each crucial to the success of the fund. One of the great parts of working at New Summit was the ability to experience the different parts of New Summit’s operations. From fundraising to research to the back office functions, it was great to experience all aspects of the firm.

What is one lesson you learned from your internship? 

The greatest lesson I learned was during the recruiting process. Recruiting for venture capital is long, arduous, and often last minute. Patience, trust, and using the Ross community helped me land my internship.

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

The best bit of advice I received was to find an industry that you’re deeply passionate and curious about. Given the nature of venture capital, the work becomes easier if it doesn’t seem like work.

Marney Coleman, MBA ’23

BlocPower, enterprise partnerships intern 

What did you do on a day-to-day basis at your internship? 

This summer I interned with BlocPower, an early stage climate tech startup with the mission of creating “smarter, healthier, greener buildings for all.” The company provides smart, all-electric heating, cooling, and hot water systems to building owners with no money down through an innovative lease offering. As with any major climate solution, there are barriers to widespread implementation — and this was the crux of my main summer project. I was tasked with articulating conditions necessary for a market transformation toward a fully electrified building stock, which consisted of identifying key market barriers, mapping the stakeholder ecosystem, analyzing market prioritization factors, and describing how these factors affect BlocPower market entry and service offerings across markets. 

What did you enjoy the most? 

It was fascinating to see how much policy — both local and federal — impacts this type of work. This summer was a big roller coaster for climate policy — and in the last week of my internship, major federal climate legislation passed that will have hugely beneficial impacts on BlocPower's work. I enjoyed learning more about these policy levers and how they interface with business, and also seeing how an early stage startup navigates the policy landscape and how that impacts market entry. 

What is one lesson you learned from your internship?

The biggest takeaway from this summer for me was that truly sustainable solutions to climate change require multi-sectoral approaches. Pairing the speed of deployment of private capital with the local knowledge of city/municipal governments or organizations is a powerful combination. 

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

I was drawn to BlocPower for its equity-first approach: The startup seeks to bring building electrification solutions to low-to-moderate income communities, employs a community advisory board model to new market entry, and has begun a holistic green workforce development program. Additionally, BlocPower employs a unique public-private partnership model — something that I have long been curious about and was eager to see in practice.

Ana Marcela Burbano Lobo, MBA ’23

Credit Karma, product management intern

What did you enjoy the most? 

The opportunity to create my own project, decide on the deliverables, and manage my time. At Credit Karma, I was given the option to define my project according to the main points that I saw and researched for the onboarding experience. It was an incredible experience to build a case, quantify the impact, and present opportunities for user experience improvement.

What is one lesson you learned from your internship? 

The culture, team, and people are huge differentiators. As an international student and as a woman, the diverse and inclusive environment of the company made me feel welcome. My ideas were considered, not only by my team, but also by vice presidents and other teams, and I participated in strategy discussions for the product.

How did this internship relate to your MBA goals at Michigan Ross? 

My goal with the internship was to test my product management skills in a different culture and environment and decide if product management was what I wanted to pursue. After the internship, I realized I loved the culture of startups and FinTech and that product management was what I wanted to do. Moreover, it gave me the confidence and assurance to keep doing what I like to generate positive outcomes for both me and the company.

How did Ross alumni support you? 

Ross alumni were the first touching point for most of the companies I applied for. They were easy to connect with and had helpful advice for the interviews. For Credit Karma, I had to expand the search to University of Michigan alumni and ended up being on a team with one of them.

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