UF Heavener students excel in competitive summer internships
Throughout this summer, University of Florida’s Heavener School of Business students have secured internships across the country to gain industry experience beyond the classroom. These internships allow the students to gain first-hand experience into their prospective careers and build a foundation for professional growth. As an undergraduate, internships allow students to guide their professional careers and be more competitive in the job market.
Learn about how some of the Heavener students have secured internships this summer and share their goals and experiences.
Isabelle Kitay | BSBA ‘26
Internship Goals: “My first internship goal is to make the most of every opportunity. There is something new I am able to learn each day which has great value for my understanding of the industry and figuring out what I am most interested in. I also want to meet as many people as possible, which I have done by scheduling coffee chats with various employees, attending networking events and getting to know everyone in my department. Another goal is to become friends with the other interns, since we all work on different teams, so most days in the office we all have lunch together and discuss various projects we are completing and how our summers are going. We get to catch up at scheduled intern events too, which are always so fun! I also hope to give an effective capstone presentation at the end of the summer to executives at the company and showcase all I have completed.”
What I’ve learned from my internship: “From working at Canon, I have learned both technical and non technical skills. I have gained experience working with different softwares such as Tableau, Sql and Python, and also documenting various internal controls. I see the value of mentorship, as my personal mentor has made such a difference in my understanding of new topics and projects, and has also been a resource while navigating the internship. It has been very helpful to learn organizational skills in a corporate setting and balance working on multiple projects at once. I have also been able to practice public speaking skills during an internship panel in front of approximately 75 employees to watch. Lastly, I got to practice using multiple Canon cameras and even engaged in an intern photo competition at a garden.”
Minuet Greenberg | BSBA ‘24, MSISOM ‘25
Internship Goals: “My three main goals for this internship are to develop connections across the firm, create value for my team and client and learn about the consulting industry. PwC engages in a large variety of client work, so I’ve made it a personal goal to meet someone outside of my group at least once a week to learn more about how consultants provide value across industries and functions. It’s also important to me that I gain experience with new tools and leave a lasting impact once I complete my internship.”
What I’ve learned from my internship: I’ve learned the importance of communication, asking good questions and networking. I had the opportunity to travel to the client site and see first-hand the value of in person client communication. I also learned about making decisions with limited information, clearly telling stories through slide decks and so much about the opportunities available to companies to modernize their systems.
Emma Granda | BSBA ‘25, MIB ‘26
Internship Goal: “My goal for this internship was to utilize this one-in-a-lifetime experience to my advantage… by building meaningful lifelong relationships, developing my skills in a way I could otherwise never do and set myself up for a long-term future with such an amazing company. I wanted to use every resource provided for interns — coffee chats with executives, ship tours, intern mixers, trainings, Celebrity Learning platform, executive speaker panels, the chance to give back to the local community and so much more.”
What I’ve learned from my internship: During my time at Royal Caribbean Group this summer, I have learned two things: workplace culture is everything, and absorb all the information you can. The leadership at RCG is so supportive and inspiring, and that truly has made me excited to wake up and go to work every single day. Their openness and commitment to teaching interns everything they need to know is so admirable, and in turn, that has taught me to be a sponge when it comes to receiving all this valuable information. What you learn during your internship can stick with you forever, and I have done everything possible to make sure I remember and apply it all.
Ryan Drucker | BSBA ‘25
Internship Goal: “My goal for the internship was to get as much hands-on experience in the cruise industry as possible and to shake hands with as many VPs and executives as I could. Through the internal mentorship program and company culture, I’ve been able to accomplish my goals!”
What I’ve learned from my internship: “I’ve learned the value of creating close working relationships with your peers, because it helps ease workflow and increase workplace efficiency. It also adds to your experience if you understand how your peers learn and work best.”
Ariana Matera | BABA ‘26, MIB ‘26
Internship Goals: “This summer, my primary goals were to learn, grow and contribute meaningfully. I wanted to gain firsthand experience in assisting large-scale projects, building relationships across a complex organization and supporting my team’s strategic goals in a way that genuinely adds value.”
What I’ve learned from my internship: “One of the most important lessons I’ve learned is the value of curiosity. As an intern, you’re not expected to have all the answers—but asking thoughtful questions and remaining curious is what drives learning and growth. I’ve also learned to think creatively and not be hesitant to suggest new ideas or approaches. Equally important has been the opportunity to connect with people across many departments at Maximus. Through one-on-one conversations, team meetings and cross-functional collaborations, I’ve gained a much deeper understanding of how various teams all contribute to the same mission. These relationships have given me a broader perspective on how large organizations operate and reinforced how critical collaboration is to driving impact. Above all, I feel incredibly fortunate to work for a team, a manager and a company that embraces innovation and empowers individuals to bring their unique perspectives to life. The experience has truly been transformative for me, both personally and professionally.”
Tejashree Vijay | BSBA ‘25, MIB ‘26
Internship goals: “(To) gain an in-depth understanding of how a financial institution works and all the moving parts that make it successful, improve hard skills like PowerPoint storytelling and excel data visualization (and) form a strong network of like-minded colleagues in the program.”
What I’ve learned from my internship: “I had the opportunity to lead a lot of client meetings and take responsibility for the work I did. So, in addition to the hard skills like excel and PowerPoint, I also learned more about the management style I most respond to. While trying to build connections within and outside of the program, I also learned how to network effectively and intentionally to initiate meaningful and long-lasting relationships.”
