23 states. 12 countries. Over $630,000 in funding awarded.

Each summer, hundreds of Sewanee students travel across the country—and the globe—in pursuit of the same thing: an unforgettable internship experience.

Thanks to the Sewanee Pledge, which guarantees funding for a summer internship or research fellowship, and support from Sewanee Career Readiness, Sewanee students benefit from unparalleled opportunities to gain firsthand experience in their potential career fields. Whether they were involved in groundbreaking medical research, worked behind the scenes on a marketing campaign, or advocated for social good at a non-profit organization, most students returned from their summer experiences with a few things in common. They got a preview of what their professional lives could look like, made connections to help facilitate their future job searches, and—most importantly—had the chance to connect their talents and passions with the opportunities to put them into practice.

Here is a sampling of how some Sewanee students spent their summers:

Business with a Purpose

The first time that Spandan Sigdel, C’29, left his home country of Nepal, it was to travel to Sewanee to start his first year of college. The second time he left his home country, there was also a Sewanee connection: He had secured an internship with organic rice distributor Jasberry in Bangkok, Thailand, an opportunity made possible in part thanks to the Sewanee Freeman Asia Fellowship, which provides selected students with up to $10,000 in funding for an internship experience in East or Southeast Asia.

From Lab Work to Life’s Work

For many college students, few sounds are as unwelcome during summer vacation as the clanging of a morning alarm cutting off any possibility of sleeping in. But Glory Dada, C’27, was positively energized by it: “For me it was a feeling of, ‘Yay! I get to go back to the lab!’” A neuroscience major and pre-health student from Ibadan, Nigeria, Dada spent her summer conducting research on the campus of Yale University as part of the Sewanee-at-Yale internship program.

Diving into Marine Conservation

At the start of a summer internship, many students expect a slower first few days as they learn the ropes of their new environment. For Ava Bowron, C’27, that was decidedly not the case. Barely 24 hours after arriving at her internship site, Bowron dove right into the work in a very literal sense: Her first task was to complete both open water and advanced diving certifications in order to qualify her for the rest of her summer tasks.

Going Beyond the Brief

It was late on a summer evening in Nashville, and Brayden Petras, C’28, was nervous. He was set to give a presentation to executives from one of the country’s most prominent corporations the next morning—and he was going to tell them that they were wrong.

From the Operating Room to the Baseball Diamond

Like many students, Liam Selvido, C’25, sought to make the most of his summer by pursuing an internship. Unlike many students, Selvido didn’t stop at just one. By day, he interned at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, working in the clinic’s Clinical Genomics Department. At night, he traveled across town and joined the media pool as a team photographer for the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (the Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins).

The Influencer Effect

Jillian Thurston, C’26, was looking for new experiences when she chose to pursue an international internship in Seoul, South Korea. But she didn’t expect that those experiences would include posing in front of a camera with bright lights and twenty pairs of eyes on her as she modeled for a global cosmetics brand.

The Call of the Wild

Kabir Menon, C’25, spent the summer in the remote environs of Hanson Island, a small island off the coast of British Columbia. There, he braved extreme conditions—including a near-miss with a grizzly bear—to join the OrcaLab research team in their 24/7 quest to observe and learn more about orca whales.

Getting the Offer

At the start of the year, many Sewanee seniors are looking for answers to the same question: What am I going to do next year? Marshall Coley, C’25, already has his answer. After a summer spent interning in the Atlanta office of financial services firm Stephens, he returned to Sewanee with what he had hoped to have in hand: an offer to join the firm as an investment banking analyst next year.

On the Front Lines of Conservation 

For many workers, the commute from home to office is an obstacle they’d gladly trade in order to get back more time in their day. But for Eva Purdy, C’28, the commute to his internship this summer was one of the best parts. An intern at the Little St. Simon’s Island Center for Coastal Conservation, Purdy began each day with a 15-minute boat ride through serene marshland to reach his place of work—seven miles of undeveloped beach, where he worked to advance sea turtle conservation and research efforts.

Gridiron Dreams

Jenna Black, C’25, grew up around football. The daughter of a coach, some of her earliest memories are of the sideline scenes at football games. Nearly two decades on, she’s still spending her time on the sidelines of a football field. Only this time, she’s looking for a way to turn her longtime passion into a career.

The Welcome Committee

As a Sewanee student from Paraguay, Nahuel Martinez, C’26, knew firsthand what it was like to leave one’s home country and find a new place in the United States. As a politics and international and global studies major, he had an academic interest in immigration policy. But it was his summer internship with the Nashville International Center for Empowerment (NICE) that gave Martinez a new perspective on the human experience of being a refugee.

Career Readiness at Sewanee

Outcomes
First Destinations after Graduation

Sewanee graduates get the job. Over 95% of each year’s graduating class is employed, continuing education, in the military, or participating in a fellowship or service commitment within six months of graduation. Top career fields include: business, finance, and consulting; education; law; medicine; and environment and sustainability. Review the first destinations data to see where Sewanee alumni launched their careers.

See Sewanee Alumni's First Destinations
Career Readiness
Support at Every Stage of the Journey

From day one, we’ll work with you to design a four-year experience that connects to your values, meets your goals, and prepares you for a meaningful and purposeful career. You’ll be matched with a career readiness and student success coach, enjoy regular campus events, have access to internships—and funding—just for Sewanee students, and get connected to Sewanee’s 20,000 strong network of alumni who are ready to help you on your way.

Explore Career Readiness Resources
Undergraduate Research
Hands-On Learning, On and Off the Domain

Big questions are out there. At Sewanee, we'll work together to find the answers. Faculty from all disciplines—sciences, humanities, fine arts, and more—bring their scholarship into the classroom and create opportunities for students to pursue original research. And thanks to the Sewanee Pledge, students are guaranteed funding for a summer research fellowship or internship with a Sewanee professor or another approved program.

Check Out Research Opportunities