Muhlenberg athletes spent the summer of 2018 doing some neat things on campus, in their hometowns and even around the world.
Steve Chenworth, men's lacrosse - Penske intern/youth lacrosse coach
"This summer I interned with Penske Truck Leasing at their corporate headquarters in Reading, Pennsylvania. I also coached a club lacrosse team comprised of rising freshmen called Blak Widow Select 2022 Platinum.
"During my time at Penske, I interned in the centralized parts operations department, which operates as a liaison to Penske’s field locations with the goal of maximizing the efficiency of the parts ordering process. The process helps to cut back on overstocked parts while also ensuring parts are ordered at the most efficient price point.
"My largest responsibility was to process payments for parts orders by issuing one-time-use credit cards to the dealers our department ordered parts from. I also created/designed the department’s intranet webpage and developed multiple different maps used to explain some of the department’s daily processes.
"My experience at Penske went far beyond the skills I learned operating CRM software and processing payments. On a weekly basis the summer interns attended private talks by senior vice presidents and other high-ranking Penske associates, where they shared their wealth of knowledge and conducted a Q&A session at the end of each talk. We were also given the opportunity to attend a multitude of professional training sessions and a community service day at the Reading Greenhouse.
"This was my second year with the Blak Widow 2022 Platinum lacrosse team in Coach Plunket’s youth club program. I organized two to three practices a week, teaching players both individual and team concepts in order to aid their progression towards becoming successful high school lacrosse players. I coached my team in four tournaments this summer, in which we won one, came in second in another and never finished a tournament with a losing record. Coaching this team two years in a row has been extremely rewarding as I have watched the boys grow both individually and as a team."
pictured: Chenworth (far left) and Plunket (far right) after Blak Widow won the Bay Bridge Brawl in Maryland.
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Jill Lissner, women's track & field - Turtle Back Zoo "farm aid"
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“This summer, I worked at the Essex County Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange, New Jersey. The zoo contains a wide range of different species that the general public are able to come and not only enjoy but learn about.
"My position at the zoo is called a “farm aid.” This means I cared for the farm animals at the zoo such as horses, goats, chickens, alpacas and more. I also was able to gain experience with other animal species through the zoo’s interactive exhibits. These animals included species of birds, butterflies, stingrays and sharks.
"Caring for these animals means I cleaned their enclosures, fed them and provided them with proper enrichment to keep them active and stimulated through the day. When caring for the horses, I also groomed them and often provided them with medication under a veterinarian's orders.
"Working in a zoo environment this summer was an experience I will always be thankful for. I have worked with animals before, but this gave me the opportunity to work with animals in a new way. Ever since I was a child, I have wanted to be a veterinarian, and I think working at the Turtle Back Zoo got me a few steps closer to my career goal.
"I also shadowed a veterinarian who cared for sick and injured companion animals such as dogs and cats. From this experience I learned a lot about both the technology and medical terminology used in veterinary medical services. This was another opportunity that will hopefully lead me to a career in veterinary medicine." |
Luke Wiley, football - fourth down research
"A project that combines two of my passions – math and football – was the ideal way for me to spend my summer.
"My project aims to mathematically suggest whether or not a coach should go for it on fourth down by using generalized linear regression models to help probabilistically make the decision. The impact of fourth-down decisions was extremely noticeable in the past Super Bowl with the Eagles electing to go for it on fourth down while the Patriots followed a more conservative strategy.
"The research went very well. I learned about the basics of special statistics and learned a lot more about the application of regression. I was able to use all the data I could from this past year, but after exhausting that information, I realized that I wanted to go back further with data to get an even better model because of the use of more data points.
"Basically the whole project was finding the expected points you are supposed to get from various decisions and the ensuing scenarios (i.e., the value of punting would be the current yard line to where the punt landed, then the expected number of points the defense was supposed to give up).
"The goal is to do a poster presentation this fall, as well as to present at the Joint Mathematics Meeting in January 2019 and/or the Sloan Sports Conference in March.
"This project is also an effort to dive into the rapidly expanding world of sports analytics. The experience was advantageous to me because I want to pursue a career in either coaching football or sports analytics." |
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Rashida Haye, women's track & field - radon research
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Muhlenberg track & field athlete Rashida Haye assisted professor and director of public health Chrysan Cronin on research related to radon, a colorless, odorless gas that is prevalent in the Lehigh Valley and can cause serious health problems with prolonged exposure. Haye and Cronin were invited to present their findings, including the effectiveness of public-service announcements in the Lehigh Valley's Hispanic community, to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
Click here for the complete story.
Haye began her research in the spring, which occasionally caused conflicts with her track practice schedule.
“You just have to communicate with your coach and communicate with your research advisors. It’s worth it because you’re doing things you really like.
“It’s about talking and being open: ‘I want to explore this research opportunity, but I’ll have to be late to practice some days.’ My coach [Brad Hackett] was very understanding about that. He always says: ‘You’re a student-athlete. Student is first.’” |
Ashley Polera, women's basketball - audit/financial analyst intern
"This summer I was an audit and financial analyst intern with PKF O’Connor Davies, LLP in Harrison, N.Y.
"PKF O’Connor Davies is a full-service certified public accounting and advisory firm with a long history of serving clients, both domestically and internationally, with a complete range of services. They exist to serve clients at a higher level, going beyond passive value protection to active value creation at every step of every engagement.
"My role as an intern in the government division involved mainly traveling to clients and assisting my team members on different phases of the auditing process. I had the opportunity to work on a variety of sections in a conventional audit such as cash receipts, subsequent tests, accrued liabilities, payroll, encumbrances and compensated absences.
"I found that the work I was completing had very significant relevance to the concepts I was learning within the classroom. Having the opportunity to apply my knowledge of accounting in the real world was a very valuable and enjoyable experience for me. In addition to the work I was conducting on different engagements and projects, I had the privilege of working in such a fostering work environment, forming new connections and expanding my professional network.
"One firm activity that I especially enjoyed during my internship was volunteering at the New York State Veterans Nursing Home in Montrose. It was such a humbling experience to give back to the community in such a meaningful way, especially to individuals who dedicated their lives protecting and serving our country. Volunteering at the VA Nursing Home reminded me how lucky I am to have the ability to pursue my dreams because there are people willing to fight and protect our rights and freedom.
"Overall, my internship has been a very rewarding and beneficial experience. I am excited to take the lessons and knowledge I’ve gained from this internship and utilize it as I move forward with my education and future career." |
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Gabrielle Neuman, volleyball - Wells Fargo intern
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“This summer, I interned at Wells Fargo Securities, an investment bank, as a sophomore summer analyst. Chris Galletta ’13 introduced me to investment banking and Wells Fargo Securities my freshman year when I joined the newly founded Wall Street Club; I will be leading as the president of the club this upcoming semester.
"The internship is a rotational program; therefore, I had the opportunity to see different groups of the bank. For the first four weeks of my internship, I was in the Leveraged Finance group, and for the second four weeks, I was in the Asset-Backed Finance (ABF) group, located on the trading floor. I rotated through Subscription Finance and Corporate Debt Finance, two silos of ABF, for two weeks each.
"Even though each day varied, a typical morning involved reading the Wall Street Journal and internal research reports to increase market knowledge. Networking with different levels from analyst to managing directors was also a large part of my experience, either through coffee chats or lunch-and-learns. Sometimes I listened in on client conference calls, which exposed me to various deals and processes between the bank and clients. Some days even included networking events, either with different teams or women’s networks held at upscale restaurants and bars or the Knights Stadium, all in uptown Charlotte.
"During my Leveraged Finance rotation, I was assigned various tasks in which I was very thankful for my prior accounting knowledge! For example, I formed capitalization tables, which showed a pro-forma version of a company’s balance sheet after the debt issuance. During my Subscription Finance rotation, I worked on a project initiated and led by Chris Galletta. The other interns and I underwrote about 500 investors each in a borrowing base database. Because underwriting is a constant task for analysts, the project would ultimately improve efficiencies when executing and updating deals. I was also able to work alongside Ryan Kennedy ’15, an analyst in the group. In my Corporate Debt Finance rotation, I contributed to an internal audit project and updated financials for an annual review.
"Overall, I greatly appreciate the people that I have worked with and have helped me understand the various debt product and markets. The Wells Fargo Securities welcoming and supportive culture that was preached during the recruiting process was immediately apparent during my first week of the internship.
"Similar to other investment banks’ accelerated recruiting process, I interviewed for a junior summer analyst position for the 2019 summer about two weeks prior to my start this summer and received a platform offer a week following the interview. I am looking forward to joining the Wells team again next summer in the lovely city of Charlotte!"
Note: Chris Galletta played football and wrestled at Muhlenberg, and Ryan Kennedy played baseball. Another former Muhlenberg athlete, football player Matthew Stickney 18, is in the Subscription Finance Group. |
Jason Richwall, men's cross country/track & field - intern at pediatrics practice
"I have been spending this summer as an intern at the Newtown, Pa., office of Margiotti & Kroll Pediatrics. The experience has shown me how much it truly takes to run a medical practice, and I am lucky to have worked on both the medical and logistical sides of the operation.
"As a pre-medical student thinking of pursuing a career in pediatrics, there was no better opportunity for me than to work at a pediatrics practice. About half of my time is spent downstairs, where I get to see patients and perform medical tasks. Some of these include calling patients back from the waiting room and recording vitals, obtaining pertinent medical/family history, testing hearing and vision and running diagnostic tests.
"In addition to gaining medical experience, I have learned how running a medical practice requires communication and a team effort to maximize efficiency. As there are often 10 or more patients in the office at a time, designating who sees which patient and when, as well as conveying relevant information to each other, is extremely important.
"I spend approximately the other half of my time in the upstairs office, where I record and organize logistical data. Some of these tasks include tracking and flagging patients who are due for well visits, sending out surveys on a weekly basis, organizing quarterly statistics and more. Before the internship, I never even thought about the extent to which practice management played a role in the medical world, but I have learned that it is absolutely crucial.
"This experience at Margiotti & Kroll has shown me that running a medical practice requires a precise balance of medical skill, communication and logistics." |
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Cam Wasson, wrestling - Lockheed Martin intern
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“My internship for the summer of 2018 was spend at the Rotary and Mission Systems division of Lockheed Martin, located in Moorestown, N.J.
"I was placed in the Modeling, Simulation and Analysis department, and worked with Future Weapons Studies team. On this team, I became familiar with the AEGIS Combat System, which is the primary ballistic missile defense system for America and its allies.
"My job in particular was to model futuristic threats to test how robust the system is, and to see where we may need to make improvements to keep the United States of America safe from those who would wish to see otherwise.
"On top of learning valuable information pertaining to America’s defensive systems capabilities, I gained a plethora of technical and analytical skills to utilize when working with data structures. I have seen dramatic improvements in my ability to write computer scripts, problem-solve analytically and ask technical questions to efficiently find solutions." |
Sydney Carey, softball - attended International AIDS Conference/EMT
"This summer I had the opportunity to travel to Amsterdam for the International AIDS Conference, which is sponsored by the International AIDS Society. As a double major in public health and psychology, this trip was an opportunity for me to broaden my understanding of world health issues.
"The conference taught me so much about the AIDS crisis and how different cultures and countries are struggling to manage transmission of the virus and treating people living with HIV and AIDS.
"I gained insight into how AIDS is transmitted, how different cultures manage the disease and how we can work together as a society to better protect human rights. I attended lectures, spoke with people from all over the world and learned about many different cultures. I learned from experts and people living with HIV and AIDS firsthand about how they are addressing a public health crisis in their home countries. I was even able to hear The Duke of Sussex and Elton John speak about a new initiative call MenStar that aims to get more men HIV tested in Africa.
"When not at the conference I traveled to nine different cities in the Netherlands, visited the Anne Frank house, the Van Gogh and other museums, the North Sea coast, The Hague and Bruges, Belgium. My experiences on this trip have definitely given me more direction on a future career path in the field of public health.
"I have always had a passion for community outreach, but becoming an emergency medical technician has given me a unique perspective through the eyes of an medical provider in a pre-hospital care setting. When I was 16, I joined the Glen Ridge Volunteer Ambulance Squad, became a New Jersey-certified EMT and have been riding ever since.
"Once I turned 18, I became a driver and then a crew chief. As an EMT, you see people at their worst. I have learned to handle CPR calls and critical injuries, as well as how to communicate with people of all ages, religions and ethnicities with compassion and dignity. I ride on the squad during school breaks, holidays and through the summer.
"At Muhlenberg, I joined MCEMS as a freshman and obtained EMT reciprocity in Pennsylvania. I am thrilled to be part of the MCEMS family and plan to continue riding with MCEMS in a leadership capacity during my next two years at Muhlenberg.
"As a member of the softball team and MCEMS, I have experienced how teamwork is the key to success, and the IAS has shown me how those from all over the world can break down religious, ethnic and cultural barriers to make a positive difference in our world." |
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RJ Hennessey, baseball - Deloitte intern
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“This summer I am interning at Deloitte, an accounting firm that provides audit, tax, consulting, enterprise risk and financial advisory services. I am working specifically in audit and assurance. In the audit and assurance intern program, each intern gets assigned to a client and works with the audit team on that client. The team I have been assigned to is the team auditing Avis Budget Group, Inc.
"On the Avis Budget Group team with me is another Muhlenberg grad and former athlete, Steph D'Ascoli '17. She was on the women's lax team and has made my transition to the team much easier.
"Throughout the course of the summer I’ve done the classic accounting stuff. I have assisted my team in a quarterly review, I have put together Excel spreadsheets (a lot of spreadsheets), I’ve gone written memos and learned a lot of technical skills necessary in the accounting field. I’ve gained valuable real world experience.
"I’ve also done more than what you would expect from a typical accounting internship, and I certainly didn’t expect it going in. At about the midway point in the internship, Deloitte flew all of the audit interns from all of the country to Dallas, Texas, to Deloitte University for a three-day intern conference. There we participated team building exercises and collaborative activities. The main speaker at the event was a Para-Olympian. She was a blind skier, and her story of teamwork of how she was able to ski in the Olympics with a guide was very inspiring to listen to. At Deloitte University we were also able to network and meet many great people from around the country, a couple of whom I am in still in touch with now, weeks after the conference.
"Deloitte also has other various events for the interns through out the course of the summer. We had a scavenger hunt in Hoboken, a cooking class and a 5K that multiple members of the Deloitte family ran in. At events like these along with others, like company barbeques, you really get a great chance to meet Deloitte employees from partners to senior associates, to other interns.
"I have enjoyed every second of my internship. I have met so many great people and have learned so much throughout the short time that I have been with Deloitte." |
Caroline Hogg, women's basketball - IronPigs intern
"This summer I am interning for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs as a ticket sales associate. I work in the front office mainly under our ticket operations manager, creating contracts for group leaders and companies to sign which in return secure and validate their group outing at Coca-Cola Park.
"I am also helping map out the zip codes of where people who buy tickets to IronPigs games live so that we can target those areas. Lastly, I make my own sales and ensure that my own groups enjoy their evening at the ballpark.
"The hours are very long and I haven't seen my family or friends from back home much this summer since I'm from Southern Virginia, so this internship has definitely been an awakening for me into the adult world. But gaining this sales experience in the sports industry is invaluable, along with the really enjoyable relationships I've made with my coworkers.
"When I'm outside of the office, people in this area light up when I tell them that I work for the IronPigs, whether they went to a game three years ago or are season ticket holders. The IronPigs have a great following in the Lehigh Valley and provide a lot of opportunities for people to come together and enjoy each other's company while cheering on their local team. It's been a pleasure to be a part of something that brings so much joy to this community." |
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Kristina Qualben, softball - trampoline effect research
Rising senior Kristina Qualben combined two of her passions - softball and physics - into her summer research project, which investigates the trampoline effect in different brands of bats.
Qualben collected data through video analysis of her swinging the bats and spent a week at Penn State with Dr. Daniel Russell, a renowned acoustics professor who has published numerous papers on the physics of baseball and softball bats.
Service Electric TV2 stopped by campus and filed this report on her research:
"I love softball and I love physics, so I wanted to find a way to combine both of these things into an idea that I find very useful." |
Erin Duca, women's lacrosse - digital production intern
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“I work in the production office in the ad/sales department at Altice USA. Much of the work we do involves making advertisements of all kinds, such as 15- and 30-second commercials, taggables, News 12 billboards, time and temperature ads, and so on.
"How this process works is that the account executives from our office (or other Altice USA offices in our area) obtain clients. We then create the product, sometimes getting the opportunity to really use our creative minds, and design something that fits our client’s requests. After approval from the client, we upload it to a site called Yangaroo, where it is processed and approved by a manager to be put on TV.
"Our commercials can air anywhere in the country, not just in the tri-state area, but often the clients we receive are local businesses looking to advertise the work they do and the services they offer. We also go out on shoots and film the commercial ourselves. My boss, Kevin, is an amazingly talented editor and has made the other intern and I feel so comfortable here. He consistently helps us learn about the editing and shooting side of production.
"Our workspace has been great because we've had the opportunity to access and utilize tons of production equipment, which has helped me to gain many useful skills for this field of work. When we head out on shoots, Kevin does help us set up and learn about our equipment, but he also gives us free rein to be able to problem solve and be creatively independent as well.
"This internship has allowed me to obtain great real-world experience, and I really can't think of a better opportunity to have been able to grow my interest in this area of work. I have gained such great friends here and I've learned so much!" |
Sam Rothstein, football/wrestling - political campaign assistant
"This summer I assisted my dad in his political campaign for the local office of County Commissioner. While I was still in school my family had let me know he was considering running for office. Well by the time I was home, signs were already being put in yards, and billboards had my father’s face on them.
"The next two-and-a-half months were all about my dad and his campaign. Whenever I was available, I traveled around the county helping out. I met many interesting people while knocking on doors in numerous neighborhoods.
"Being someone who has never interested myself in politics, I wasn’t sure how I would feel doing this, but of course I went along with my responsibilities as a supportive son. The weeks went by and I took part in fundraising dinners, sign waving on a highway intersection and more door knocking.
"What I found to be the most impactful was having a booth set up during our town’s annual carnival. We gave balloons out to the children and spoke with the parents about considering to vote for my dad. I began to notice how much the personal connecting meant to all the voters. They clearly appreciated having the candidate take time to have an actual conversation with them and not just say 'vote for me.'
"When primary election day came around my family and some volunteers went to each polling station to try and entice the last few people who hadn’t made up their minds. At the end of the very long, very hot day, we all returned to my house to await the results.
"My dad had nearly 50% of all the votes. Seeing the joy on everybody’s faces made the whole experience worth it. Our hard work truly paid off and, in my opinion, it was certainly the connections we attempted to make with every voter. Taking the time to talk to someone shows you care about what they have to say. I think it’s a good lesson when running for office, and a vital lesson in life to be a better person."
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Aine Filler, women's golf - PGA intern
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“This summer, I am a tournament operations intern for the Philadelphia Section PGA. The Philadelphia Section is one of 41 geographical sections of The PGA of America, covering eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey (from Trenton south), Delaware and parts of northern Maryland.
"I am working specifically with the Philadelphia Junior Tour, though the Section office also manages 860 PGA members and apprentices who are employed at over 590 golf facilities in our region. Throughout my 12-week internship, part of my time is spent in the office, but most is spent on-site at various golf courses throughout the region.
"When I am in the office, my duties mainly consist of preparing for upcoming events. I spend a lot of my time on BlueGolf completing tasks like constructing pairings and tee times, confirming and managing membership profiles and authorizing payment transactions; and on ActOn creating and sending out mass e-mails for the entire membership to see.
"On site, I first have to set up for the tournament; this includes hanging banners, setting tees and completing a bunch of smaller tasks to make sure the event runs smoothly. During an event, I handle scoring, act as a rules official and photograph anyone participating in the tournament. After an event, I distribute results and highlights."
"I also created an Instagram page for the Philadelphia Junior Tour. I will often come up with a post and an Instagram story when I am on site to publicize the event and highlight some of the low scores of the day.
"My favorite part of the experience thus far would be working the Shoprite LPGA Classic in June down at Seaview. I was lucky enough to do the live scoring, so I got to interact with some of the most famous females golfers like Lydia Ko, Jessica Korda, Stacy Lewis, Anna Nordqvist and many more. It was really neat to be literally face-to-face with them and ask them how their day was and to wish them good luck in the following round!" |
Emily O'Mahoney, women's basketball - Consumer Reports intern
"This summer I am a full-time accounting and finance intern at Consumer Reports.
"Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit member organization that works side by side with consumers for truth, transparency and fairness in the marketplace. I have had the opportunity to prepare information for the external financial audit, which has been a really cool experience. Along with that, I have had the opportunity to work on other projects that have significant relevance to what I have learned in the classroom.
"Each project has also been a great learning opportunity thanks to the professionals I work with. It has been a wonderful experience working for an organization with a great mission. Our building has tons of labs that test almost any consumer product you can imagine. The testing is done with the purpose of making the marketplace better for consumers (all of us!).
"I am the only intern in my department, therefore all the other interns I have been able to meet and connect with come from various departments - such as Research Testing & Insights, Development, Content and Test Technicians. It is great to grab lunch and hear what they are up to in their section of the organization.
"My internship has been extremely valuable, taught me a lot and allowed me to meet great people!" |
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Zach Cimring, men's soccer - completed triathlon
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“On Sunday, June 22, after six months of training, I raced in the New Jersey State Triathlon hosted by CGI Racing and USAT. I wanted to do the triathlon when I got tired of my usual running in the gym. I wanted a challenge and the triathlon gave me that.
"The triathlon I raced in was an Olympic Triathlon, meaning 1500m swim (.93 mile), 25.5 mile bike, and 6.2 mile run. It is one race under a 70.3 (Half Ironman) and two under a Full Ironman (which is the eventual goal).
"Sunday morning started at 4 a.m. I packed my triathlon bag with necessary equipment and drove to Mercer County Park in West Windsor. I spent most of the morning in the transition area getting ready. My wave, which included men’s ages 20-29 and 60-65, started swimming at 7:34. The race began at 7:30 with Olympic athletes and other elite racers going first.
"I got a very good jump at the start of the swim, which was very crowded. There were about 100 athletes in my wave. We bumped into each other in the water but it was all in good fun. The swim took me 30 minutes to complete, well above the average time. The fastest swim was completed in 22 minutes (19 for one of the Olympians).
"After the swim I sprinted to the transition area, grabbed my bike, ate an energy GU and started riding. The 25.5 miles took me 1 hour and 30 minutes - a little slow but my bike wasn’t a racing bike, which makes a difference. The fastest time for the bike was 58 minutes.
"After the bike, I sprinted back to the transition area, got ready and started running. I transitioned in 1 minute and 30 seconds. The elite athletes transition in 1:10. The 6.2 miles took me 43 minutes, averaging 6:47 pace throughout.
"I crossed the finish line and started crying. It was a great feeling to set a goal and go after it. The finish line was accompanied by a red carpet, confetti, music and my name being called out. The guy reading the names gave Muhlenberg soccer a shoutout, which was awesome.
"I finished 14th in my age group (men’s ages 20-24, which consisted of national champions from Duke and Washington University in St. Louis). I also finished 484th out of 1,175 athletes.
"It was one of the best days of my life. The atmosphere was live and electric, the people were extremely nice, everyone was working as hard as they could. This race definitely has gotten me prepared for the upcoming soccer season. I am more fit than I have ever been.
"The race taught me about mental toughness, how to prepare for sports (hydration, eating, recovery), and how to be professional in a sporting environment. I learned that my body can do so much if I push it to do so. I look forward to using this mentality on the soccer pitch and I look forward to doing a few more triathlons in the future." |
Rebecca Shear, volleyball - virtual reality research
Muhlenberg volleyball player Rebecca Shear is part of a team conducting memory experiments using virtual reality (VR) goggles under the supervision of associate professor of psychology and neuroscience Gretchen Gotthard. The group is testing to see if VR could be used to complement traditional methods for dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Click here for the complete story.
“This summer, I loved learning about the behavioral aspects of memory reconsolidation and collaborating with the other students in the lab. Dr. Gotthard has been an amazing mentor and has allowed me and my fellow researchers to have major responsibilities in the lab, which has helped me become disciplined and confident in my work.”
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Allyson Sweeney, softball - Dorney Park intern
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“I am one of the revenue accounting interns at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom in Allentown. Some of my general responsibilities include importing and auditing daily revenue and setting up Fast Lane bands for admissions and merchandise stands.
"Two of my favorite tasks are working on the sales edit to verify cashier over/shorts and preparing a non-tax adjustment. For you non-accounting folks, a cashier over/short represents how far off a cashier is from the amount of money they were given at the beginning of their shift.
"Throughout this summer I’ve been able to enjoy a terrific work environment while establishing some great connections with other interns as well as full-time management. This internship has allowed me to apply my accounting education from Muhlenberg College and get invaluable hands-on experience in a fast-paced accounting setting.
"Even though I can’t go on rides while I’m working, it is a nice break to get to walk outside and see what’s going on in the park. Some days I get to walk through the park up to admissions when it gets really busy, and I get a chance to see how we exceed customer satisfaction throughout all of our departments. Usually on the way back to my building I am taunted by the smell of crab fries from Chickie’s and Pete’s, but I resist ... most of the time.
"The internship has proven to be an outstanding experience for me to get an understanding of Dorney Park’s Accounting/Finance department, especially when my direct manager showed us how all of our daily accounting activities roll up into the financial statements for the corporation. I’ve truly enjoyed getting to make more connections and expand my accounting knowledge. I am very excited to take on future challenges there as I continue my internship into the fall on a part-time basis.” |
Christopher Funge, men's cross country/track & field - Edward Jones intern
"I am a financial advisor intern with Edward Jones Investments in Pompton Plains, N.J. For those not aware, Edward Jones is a full-service brokerage firm headquartered in St. Louis, Mo. The firm offers several services to clients such as, but not limited to, retirement planning, insurance and annuities, college savings and portfolio and wealth management.
"One of the cool things about Edward Jones is the way the company is structured. Rather than having large-scale offices with dozens of advisors working from the same location, the firm preaches a model of much smaller 'branch offices' where one or two advisors can make a meaningful impact in their community. That being said, my summer has consisted of working alongside two financial advisors as well as two office administrators who assist with the branch’s day-to-day operations.
"The experience has truly been an immersive one. I have been able to attend many events with my fellow interns and other financial advisors from across the area, which has been great from a networking perspective.
"Additionally, I have had opportunities to play the role of both advisor and administrator. On any given day, my tasks may entail fielding client phone calls and answering questions, scheduling appointments, sitting in on meetings with product partners, helping place trades, updating accounts or creating objective-oriented reports.
"All in all, seeing much of the behind-the-scenes work that goes into helping clients — each of whom has unique needs — reach their long-term goals has been extremely rewarding." |
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Marlee Siegel, field hockey - environmental research
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“This summer, I am studying the binding of humic acid and triclosan using fluorescence quenching. This topic is extremely important, given its environmental implications, which definitely piqued my interest initially.
"Humic acid is found in soil and triclosan simulates pollutants in the environment that have a negative effect on plant growth. The way these two molecules interact determines if the soil will become polluted after triclosan exposure. The overall goal in my research is to figure out how strong the bond between these two substances is.
"Using several equations and the collected fluorescence data, I am able to calculate the change in heat (deltaH) of the reaction, which tells us how tightly the molecules bind. If deltaH is very high, the bond is very strong, which indicates that the humic acid would be able to essentially grab onto the pollutant and stop it from contaminating the rest of the soil. A low deltaH tells us that the humic acid cannot tightly hold onto the triclosan, which results in the pollutant spreading throughout the soil and leads to many negative environmental effects.
"Through my research, I have learned so much. Everything I worked with this summer was completely new to me, so that certainly added some challenges. However, I am incredibly grateful to Muhlenberg for giving me this opportunity so early in my college career. The experience I have gained is invaluable and now I feel much more prepared for future research.” |
Austin Sherman, wrestling - international training and competition
"This summer I traveled with USA Olympic Coach Valentin Kalika and a group of athletes from around the country to Gori, Georgia, to wrestle for two weeks against international competition and learn from World and Olympic champions.
"During the two weeks we were also afforded the opportunity to travel around the country and sightsee. We saw the capital city of Tbilisi and a handful of churches and waterfalls and got to go watch the Grand Prix international tournament, where a few World and Olympic champions competed.
"Wrestling is such an incredible sport because it creates a level of mutual respect between athletes from every country. We watched athletes from Iran, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia and Korea.
"It was an incredible two weeks getting to make connections with other wrestlers and see what it takes to become competitive on the highest level. Looking forward to returning to Muhlenberg and sharing what I learned with my coaches and teammates!" |
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Amanda Morello, women's basketball - Harrah's Resort hospitality intern
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“I am a Hospitality Intern at Harrah’s Resort in Atlantic City. This includes learning the responsibilities of the front desk agents, rooms controllers, housekeeping supervisors, bell captains and valet jockeys.
“Throughout my 10-week internship so far, I’ve gone through extensive training on the LMS and HotSOS programs, which are computer programs that we use to communicate the status of the rooms throughout the hotel, as well as checking guests in and out and communicating with the GRAs (guest room attendants). My favorite job so far is definitely the housekeeping supervisor, because you’re working alongside the GRAs as well as interacting with the guests.
“Along with the internship, I’m completing a Yellow Belt Six Sigma training program, which entails taking two weeks of collecting data on an aspect of one of the departments. For my project, I have been watching the rooms controllers behind the front desk, taking notes on their efficiency when answering calls from guests and questions from agents. The main goal is to see what changes can be made to ensure that they aren’t getting dropped calls. At the end of the internship, my partner and I will present our findings and our solution to the general manager and VP of the hotel, along with the regional manager.
“It’s been a great experience so far!” |
Steven Shoemaker, men's tennis - Philadelphia Freedoms intern
"I am an intern for the Philadelphia Freedoms of World Team Tennis, currently owned by Billie Jean King and home to some of the world's top tennis stars. I am the social media chair for the Freedoms and it is a really cool opportunity, as it keeps me in touch with the game of tennis.
"I control the Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts and constantly make posts about upcoming events, ticket sales, how are players are doing, and just anything involving the Philadelphia Freedoms. I play a key role in promoting our season, which is from July 19 to August 1. I update our website and send out promotional e-mails about season tickets and what will be occurring at each of our six home matches, which are held at Hagan Arena at St. Joseph's University."
The Freedoms' roster includes defending U.S. Open Champion Sloane Stephens, the No. 3-ranked player in the world, and No. 5 Kevin Anderson, who reached last weekend's Wimbledon final.
"My whole life I've worked at day camps, so to be able to interact with professional athletes is really cool. When Kevin Anderson played his match against John Isner [in the Wimbledon semifinal, 26-24 in the fifth set], there was so much I could put up on social media. It really boosted our ticket sales. We are so excited to meet Kevin and discuss his historic run."
Steven's supervisor is Muhlenberg alumnus Jon Blitzer '02, manager of marketing and operations for the Freedoms since 2011.
"It is really awesome being able to combine my love for the sport with this internship experience. Jon utilizes me a lot because I am one of seven interns who really knows a lot about the sport of tennis. I really enjoy working with social media, so it is just that much more enjoyable and easy when you are working with a sport that you are very knowledgeable and passionate about." |
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Madison Forrest, volleyball - American Red Cross intern
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"I’m interning at the American Red Cross Los Angeles Region in their Disaster Relief Services. This summer is predicted to be disaster heavy, with the volcano eruption in Hawaii, hurricane season in the South, floods in the Northeast, and wildfires here in California, in addition to the number one most destructive disaster in America, home fires.
"Within the Disaster Services, I’m working closely with workforce engagement. Response to a disaster begins long before the actual event occurs. Being prepared starts with me finding and engaging with volunteers who are willing to give their time to respond to disasters locally, regionally or nationally.
"We just had a really big event 'Sound the Alarm' where we installed smoke alarms in fire-vulnerable areas for free and talked about the importance of home fire safety - being prepared in case of a fire - having an escape plan, duplicating important documents, etc. So far, the Red Cross has installed more than a million smoke alarms across the country!
"It truly is a rewarding experience. Hopefully nothing horrible happens in my community or somewhere else across the country; but if it does, I know the Red Cross is prepared with the people I’m enlisting, who are willing to step up and provide aid through running evacuations and shelters, delivering medicinal supplies and food, mental health services and a variety of other ways volunteers respond to disasters." |
Know of someone else who should be on this list? Send an e-mail to
mikefalk@muhlenberg.edu.
