Image by Ed Brennen
Emerson Tully, a rising sophomore nursing major from Malden, received a $2,500 Moloney Scholarship to intern as a grant writer at the Refuge Art School in Lowell this summer.
51视频 students put their education to work this summer through paid career-connected experiences that prepare them for life after graduation.听
Whether they were building advanced simulations in Silicon Valley, drafting grant proposals in Lowell or interning with a global leadership program overseas, students were applying classroom learning in real-world settings and gaining insights into potential career paths.
Here鈥檚 a look at how 51视频 students from a range of majors spent the summer building skills while earning money to help pay for their education:听
Computer Science Major Lands Co-op at AI Powerhouse Nvidia
Nvidia, the tech giant whose chips are the backbone of the artificial intelligence revolution, takes its name from the Latin word 鈥渋nvidia,鈥� which means 鈥渆nvy.鈥� It鈥檚 safe to say that听computer science听major听Jessica Vu鈥檚 co-op at Nvidia鈥檚 Silicon Valley headquarters is the envy of college students everywhere.
A rising senior in the听Kennedy College of Sciences, Vu landed an eight-month co-op at the $3.4 trillion company, which is running neck-and-neck with Microsoft and Apple for the title of 鈥淢ost Valuable Company in the World.鈥�
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Rising senior computer science major Jessica Vu spent eight months on co-op at Nvidia's headquarters in Santa Clara, California.
鈥淎utomation is the most valuable skill I鈥檝e learned,鈥� she says. 鈥淎nything you do can be automated, so having that skill opens new career opportunities for me.鈥�
Vu got to attend company-wide meetings at which CEO Jensen Huang shared Nvidia鈥檚 vision for the future of AI and beyond.
鈥淭hose are the kind of talks you don鈥檛 get to hear outside the company,鈥� says Vu, who sees the co-op as more than a r茅sum茅-builder.
鈥淚t鈥檚 taught me that you have to be continuously learning, even outside of class,鈥� she says. 鈥淚n tech, especially in software, you have to update your knowledge every day, because there's always new tools and new frameworks.鈥澨�
Pharmaceutical Sciences Major Interns in Armenia鈥檚 Biotech Sector
For Levon Markosyan, a summer internship in Armenia offered more than just professional experience in the pharmaceutical industry 鈥� it was a way to foster a connection with his cultural roots.
The听pharmaceutical sciences听major secured the internship through the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) Global Leadership Program. The initiative hosts high-achieving university students of Armenian descent who display strong leadership characteristics.
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Levon Markosyan, a rising junior pharmaceutical sciences major, landed a summer internship at PharmaTech in Armenia's capital city of Yerevan.
"I was entrusted with real responsibilities that gave me a firsthand understanding of how a pharmaceutical company functions on an international scale and given an intimate look at many things that are crucial to operations,鈥� says Markosyan, a rising junior from Newton. 鈥淚 learned how to navigate professional environments where precision and accountability are non-negotiable.鈥�
He worked alongside quality assurance professionals to ensure adherence to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), helped draft data protection protocols to meet evolving regulatory standards and assisted in developing cold storage validation procedures 鈥� tasks that placed him at the intersection of compliance, innovation and operational efficiency.
The AGBU Global Leadership Program also offered opportunities for students to engage with Armenian culture. Markosyan took part in guided historical tours, excursions into rural communities and leadership seminars.
"AGBU made sure that in addition to working, we were getting exposed to the life and culture in Armenia while making friends that will last a lifetime," he says. "From the people I met to the places I visited and all the history I was exposed to along the way, I left with a deeper sense of pride in Armenia's heritage and a better understanding of where the country is headed."
Political Science Major Supports Nonprofit in Worcester
Thanks to a听$4,000 Immersive Scholarship, honors听political science听major Nadia Eshun interned this summer at a nonprofit that helps people in her hometown of Worcester build better lives for themselves.
Eshun, a rising sophomore, sought the internship with the Safe Exit Initiative, which helps people exit the sex trade, because she wants to learn more about how nonprofits operate. The organization offers a day shelter, full-service shelter, and outreach and support services.
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Nadia Eshun, a rising sophomore political science major, used a $4,000 Immersive Scholarship to intern at the nonprofit Safe Exit Initiative in Worcester this summer.
Eshun isn鈥檛 sure yet what she wants to do with her degree in political science, with a focus on political communication and public opinion. But she knows that she enjoys advocacy and outreach work, and she has been intrigued with Safe Exit since high school.
鈥淚n America, they鈥檙e one of the only organizations that does what they do. I wanted to see how they do it,鈥� Eshun says. 鈥淢y big question was, 鈥楬ow do nonprofits even get money?鈥欌��
At Safe Exit, she learned by working with the fundraising team. She also helped put together kits to test street drugs for fentanyl and xylazine and sorted donated clothing, shoes and handbags.
In the donation room, the women sometimes open up about their lives. That, too, was a learning experience, Eshun says.
鈥淭he stories I鈥檝e heard, it鈥檚 a lot,鈥� she says.
Business Major Builds Communications Skills at UMass President鈥檚 Office
When Governor Maura Healey announced a $400 million initiative to support research in Massachusetts,听business听major听Meghan Dearing听was there at the State House, capturing social media content for UMass President Marty Meehan 鈥�78.
As a communications intern for the UMass President鈥檚 Office in downtown Boston, Dearing has had an unexpected front-row seat to state politics.
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Business major Meghan Dearing will continue her communications internship with the UMass President's Office during her senior year.
Dearing鈥檚 paid, full-time summer internship will continue part time through her senior year, allowing her to grow her skills in strategy and storytelling while completing her double concentration in听marketing听and听management. She also serves as president of the Marketing Society.
鈥淗aving that hands-on work experience is so different from being in a classroom or reading a textbook,鈥� says Dearing, whose work includes scheduling content, writing posts that amplify faculty and student achievements, updating web content and analyzing system-wide data across the five UMass campuses and the UMass School of Law.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a dream to be in college and have a job in Boston,鈥� says Dearing, who hopes to pursue a career in brand marketing or public relations, blending strategy, creativity and communication. She鈥檚 also learning the programming languages Python and R to strengthen her digital skill set.
鈥淚 never thought I would like communications this much,鈥� she says. 鈥淏ut the writing and research really interest me. I want to manage the big picture someday 鈥� not just post on social, but lead the strategy behind it.鈥�
Engineering Majors Take Flight with GE Aerospace Internships
Nearly 75 students packed the room when GE Aerospace visited 51视频 last October to recruit summer interns. In the end, three were chosen for product definition engineer internships: Andrew Bonczek, Zachary Muniz and Ethan Norton 鈥� all rising senior听mechanical engineering听majors and all members of the听51视频 Rocketry Club.
Their paid 13-week internships at GE Aerospace鈥檚 headquarters in Lynn provided hands-on experience supporting the design and documentation for military and commercial aircraft engines and components. The students were primarily responsible for updating technical drawings and creating 3D CAD (computer-aided design) models.
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Rising senior mechanical engineering majors, from left, Ethan Norton, Zachary Muniz and Andrew Bonczek spent the summer as product definition engineers at GE Aerospace in Lynn.
鈥淚t was shocking how quickly I was able to pick things up,鈥� says Bonczek, an听Honors College听student from Westford. 鈥淣ot because it wasn鈥檛 technical, but because I have so much experience working with this type of thing at 51视频. I was able to apply it pretty seamlessly.鈥�
Muniz, who worked primarily on turboprop and turboshaft components found in propeller planes and helicopter engines, embraced the challenge of learning about advanced mechanical systems.
鈥淚t was very heavy on the documentation, but they were also very good about getting us up to speed on some more advanced CAD practices,鈥� says Muniz, who is from Foxborough.
Norton worked in the tooling department, using CAD software to design and manufacture the specialized tools and equipment used in the production of jet engines.听
鈥淔or as long as I can remember, I always loved anything that flies,鈥� says Norton, who is from Reading. 鈥淚nterning at GE was a great opportunity to gain some knowledge in the aerospace field and get my foot in the door.鈥�
While they contributed to different parts of the workflow at GE, the trio sat near each other and were in regular contact throughout the week.
鈥淚t was nice to have some of my buddies on the floor there with me,鈥� says Muniz.
鈥淐o-op should be required for mechanical engineers. It鈥檚 probably one of the greatest things you can do for professional development,鈥� Norton says. 鈥淟earning theory in classes is great, but experiencing how an actual workplace will be in engineering and getting the experience that you can actually talk about when applying for jobs is huge.鈥�
Nursing Major Advances Nonprofit Mission Through Grant Writing听
Honors听nursing听major听Emerson Tully鈥檚 grant writing internship at Refuge Art School in Lowell was supposed to be a one-semester thing.
鈥淏ut once you go to Refuge, you can鈥檛 leave,鈥� Tully says of the nonprofit organization that provides art education, mentorship and leadership development to young people in the community. 鈥淐oming to Refuge was probably my favorite part of the week.鈥�
Image by Ed Brennen
Rising sophomore nursing major Emerson Tully's love of writing drew her to the grant writing internship at Refuge Art School.
She found it with the听Moloney Student Scholar Program, which provides up to $2,500 in financial support to full-time 51视频 students who land unpaid internships with nonprofits or government agencies.
鈥淚鈥檓 glad that I found the Moloney Scholarship when I did. I appreciate what Refuge does, and I want to help them as much as I can,鈥� says Tully, who spends 10 hours a week at the school鈥檚 Western Avenue Studios location, researching and assessing funding opportunities and writing grant proposals.
鈥淕rant writing is a more persuasive type of writing, which I love. Instead of just stating facts about Refuge, you can add a voice, which makes a big difference,鈥� says Tully, who helped the organization secure $45,000 in grant funding from about a dozen sources during her spring semester internship.
Tully, a first-generation college student from Malden, doesn鈥檛 plan to give up her work at Refuge Art School any time soon.
鈥淓ven if it鈥檚 unpaid, I鈥檓 going to stick with Refuge, because it鈥檚 such a great community,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hey deserve more support, and I can help them.鈥�