by Riane Herlihy ’09
Internships are way for students to apply what they’ve learned in class and to gain professional experience. For businesses, interns often add a fresh perspective and, in some cases, a potential new employee. What follows are perspectives on internships from a business owner who works with PSU interns, and two former PSU interns—one who explored his political ambitions by interning for a New Hampshire executive councilor, the other whose internship at the Kennedy Space Center is getting him that much closer to his dream of becoming a meteorologist.
Getting Down to Business
Clifford Metcalfe, Jr., owner of Kingswood Leasing Inc., a privately held equipment finance company in Wolfeboro, NH believes that hiring interns helps keep his business perspective fresh. “The interns always bring with them creative ideas and a strong motivation to succeed,” says Metcalfe. “They come equipped with the knowledge to jump right in and get down to business. I try to take on at least one PSU intern each semester.”
According to Metcalfe, whose three children attended PSU, internships have the potential to provide more than job experience and course credit. If the match between intern and company is right, the intern may find that he or she has a job after graduation. “The employer has an opportunity to see if you fit into the work environment, and the student gets to see if the job is right for him or her,” he says. “If you prove to me that you’re hardworking, versatile, and willing, why wouldn’t I hire you?”
Making Connections
By his senior year at PSU, Peter Laufenberg ’07, ’08G knew he wanted to work in the political field. Having gained some political experience in student government as both student body president and speaker of the Student Senate, he was eager to take the next step toward his goal of working in state government.
With the help of his advisor, Professor of Political Science Michelle Fistek, then-PSU President Donald Wharton, and members of the Department of Social Science, Laufenberg secured an internship with New Hampshire Executive Councilor Raymond S. Burton. “I was in charge of responding to constituents, attending budget hearings and hearings at the statehouse, giving sworn testimony on behalf of the councilor to members of the legislature, and representing the councilor at events in his district and throughout the state,” Laufenberg explains. “It was a great opportunity to understand the time commitment and personal commitment that it takes to be an elected official.”
While his political aspirations are very much alive, Laufenberg currently serves as business liaison for PSU’s Global Education Office (GEO). As the title implies, he is a liaison between PSU and businesses throughout the state. During his first year in the role, he helped launch Live, Work, and Innovate in Rural New Hampshire, which brings area businesses to campus, providing business leaders an opportunity to meet potential employees, and students a chance to learn about potential careers here in New Hampshire. “It facilitates interaction between students and prospective employers, and highlights some great career opportunities that exist in the state,” he says.
The connections Laufenberg makes with New Hampshire businesses as business liaison come in handy in his other role at GEO, that of manager of field experience. In this role, he says, “[I’m] responsible for placing and working with business interns.” As he builds and maintains strong relationships with New Hampshire businesses and organizations, he is able to match a business’s need with an intern’s skills.
As a recent PSU graduate who has himself benefited from interning, Laufenberg finds great satisfaction in his work, which he views as helping students take their first step toward a successful career.
Skill (and Résumé) Building
Each summer since 2005, two PSU meteorology students have had the opportunity to spend six weeks working at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, FL with NASA and the 45th Weather Squadron, a division of the U.S. Air Force. James Koermer, professor of meteorology and director of the Judd Gregg Meteorology Institute, enlists the students to join him in the continuation of an ongoing study on base. “The research is focused on developing operational tools to predict winds associated with thunderstorms for use by Air Force weather personnel who have operational forecast responsibility for the entire complex,” Koermer explains.
Last summer, graduate student Jared Rennie participated in the 10-week internship. “The main goal of the 45th Weather Squadron is to forecast for the operation of the entire complex. The forecast affects space shuttle launches, the safety of the 30,000 people who work on base, and the safety of the equipment at the station,” says Rennie. “The two main concerns are lightning and wind. Our research was focused on wind. My work was directly with the radar used to detect and forecast these storms.”
Working at the KSC was a way for Rennie to experience meteorology work firsthand. “My goal is to become an operational meteorologist,” he says. “My work with the Air Force was one way to take what I’ve learned at PSU and apply it in an operational setting.”
Rennie encourages students to seek out and participate in internships in their desired profession. “Internships are definitely a way to gain experience,” says Rennie. “Working at an operational facility and having it on my résumé is really helpful as I begin to apply for jobs. My work at the KSC eventually grew into my thesis, which evaluates the radar methods to predict convective winds at the Kennedy Space Center. My experience in Florida has expanded far beyond the 10-week program.”
Tags: internships Jared Rennie Peter Laufenberg Riane Herlihy
