A chance encounter with an executive at a major cruise line. A professor who inspired her to enter the field of therapy. And a desire to improve public health in her home country.
These experiences led University of Miami students Matthew Mitchell, Francoise Agahozo and Lauren Dolson to internships this summer at organizations they feel fortunate to be joining, even temporarily.
While some of these students were supported by a stipend from the Toppel Career Center’s Mark and Maureen Angelo Family Endowment Fund, all of them are gaining hands-on experience while exploring future career paths. Since today marks National Intern Day, News@theU asked these three students about their experiences this summer.
Designing a dream career
For Matthew Mitchell, a fourth-year architecture student, a childhood passion for cruising helped sparked a career goal: designing ships. After meeting a Royal Caribbean executive during his first few weeks on campus, he landed a part-time position that eventually became a summer internship. This is his third summer at the cruise line.
“It’s always been a dream to work at Royal Caribbean,” Mitchell said. “By designing cruise ships, you get a little of everything—you’re designing facades and building-like features while also designing rooms. You can design a small city on a moving vehicle and that is so intriguing to me.”
While last summer, he worked on developing programs and designs for Royal’s private islands, this summer, Mitchell is working with Royal Caribbean’s architecture and design team to develop design standards for ships.
“Being able to experience this dream job in a risk-free type of way—since I am still in school—will help me determine what I want to do with my degree and if this is the career path I want to go down,” he said.
He credits his coursework with helping him succeed in the role.
“All of the technical skills I have learned in my architecture classes have helped me with this internship,” he said. “Being able to operate applications like Adobe Illustrator and InDesign, as well as AutoCAD are essential.”
His advice to fellow students: “Network. Without networking, I wouldn’t be where I am now. You genuinely never know who you’ll meet at events. It can change your life overnight.”
Connecting microbiology and global health
Francoise Agahozo, a rising senior majoring in microbiology and immunology with a minor in public health, is spending the summer at the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Kigali, Rwanda. IOM is the leading intergovernmental organization within the United Nations system.
“I knew about the IOM before coming to college and always dreamed about working at a UN organization,” she said.
As an antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance and stewardship intern, Agahozo is using her background in microbiology to help assess Rwanda’s progress on AMR initiatives. Antimicrobial resistance is when pathogens like bacteria or anything that causes disease starts to resist medications. This typically occurs because medications are overused, or patients develop nosocomial infections, or those spread in health care settings, Agahozo explained.
But she is also supporting its Ebola preparedness efforts.
“Originally, I was focused on the progress of Rwanda with respect to antimicrobial resistance,” she said. “Then, the Ebola outbreak happened, so I also began working on preparedness in all government policies and getting funding assistance.”
She counts her classes with University professor Kurt Schesser for helping her to fully embrace conversations about the biology of disease with her supervisors and collaborators this summer.
"One day my supervisor began talking about the science and the RNA of Ebola and I did not expect him to use so many references to my microbiology class, but I would not have understood that conversation if I didn’t take Dr. Schesser’s classes," she said. "He really prepared me for that."
The internship at IOM has expanded her understanding of possible career paths. While she started college set on becoming a physician, Agahozo has become more interested in clinical research. “This experience has broadened my perspective,” Agahozo said. “Working with all these NGOs, I realized microbiology can be integrated into global health.”
She has also gained a deeper appreciation for teamwork.
“I thought I was just working at IOM, but the first week I was there we went to Rwanda Biomedical Center, which is in charge of health in my country. There were so many cross-sector collaborations between different organizations that this visit showed me how every science field interconnects with each other,” she said.
And Agahozo has learned the value of staying adaptable. She has learned how to use the software tool Power BI to gather statistical data this summer and create visuals to share with leaders.
“It is important to be open minded about other subjects too, so don’t be afraid to learn,” she said.
Supporting students through ABA therapy
After taking a fascinating class with Yanerys Leon, associate professor of psychology, Lauren Dolson became interested in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy. After a conversation about the field, Leon sent Dolson an internship opportunity at New York City Autism Charter School, which is considered an ideal place for supporting students on the autism spectrum. With only about 50 students, it allows teachers to spend one-on one time with students and to customize a learning plan for each child.
This summer, Dolson is working at the school and helping children develop communication and daily living skills in a small class of elementary school-aged students.
“We use principles of ABA, which is a specific type of therapy to work with these children and give them a sense of independence and self-sufficiency,” said Dolson, a senior studying psychology.
The work has been both challenging and rewarding.
“The little wins I get make it all worth it,” she said. “Seeing a student get better at writing their letters over time, or little things like asking for a hug, or doing a skill they couldn’t do when I started working at the school—those make it worthwhile.”
The internship has reinforced her goal of becoming a therapist. Dolson also feels fortunate to get hands-on psychology experience as an undergrad, which she said is rare.
“In this internship, I have learned how to give people care and support them toward their own independent goals and challenges,” Dolson said. “I am also learning to work with kids at their level and have a better understanding of neurodivergent people.”
She believes the experience has been invaluable for her future career aspirations. Beyond that, it was a meaningful and enjoyable summer, she said.
“The chance to see the real-world applications of ABA was very important for me,” she said. “And beyond that, I find it very fulfilling to help people feel seen and heard.”
To learn more about finding internships or for any career coaching, visit the Toppel Career Center website, or schedule an initial visit in person or virtually.
