Seven students have been selected the 2017 recipients of international internship scholarships awarded by Rhodes’ Department of Economics and the Department of Business. Students will work this summer in countries of their choosing and with companies they believe will give them the best opportunity to gain valuable career experience. The scholarships are designed to assist the selected students in becoming engaged citizens with global perspectives through immersion into different cultures.
The Morelle Legg International Internship is awarded to a female junior major in economics or business. The selection committee considers factors such as overall and major grade point average, completion of relevant business courses, and language skills in evaluating candidates. This is a merit-based scholarship funded by an anonymous donor. This year’s recipient is Julie Coen ’18. “As a business major with minors in international studies and anthropology/sociology, I am interested in marketing based on cultural trends and social movements,” says Coen. “I am so excited to learn more about this through a marketing internship in Buenos Aires, Argentina! I believe the experience will push me outside my comfort zone, help me make meaningful connections between myself and dissimilar people and places, and further develop many personal and professional skills necessary for future success.”
The Theodore William Eckels International Business Internship is awarded to several outstanding sophomore or junior declared majors in the Department of Business or the Department of Economics. It is named in honor of business leader Theodore Williams Eckels. The selection committee considers factors such as overall and major grade point average, completion of relevant business courses, and language skills in evaluating candidates. The 2017 Theodore William Eckels interns are listed below with their plans.
Salma Benkerroum ’19, Business and Economics Bridge Major
“Coming from Morocco, I have had the chance to interact and intern with Arab companies, live in the United States, and thus examine American companies’ peculiarities. However, I have never had the opportunity to interact with European companies. For that reason, I am looking forward to working in renewable energies in Dublin, Ireland. I strongly believe that understanding different cultures is of the utmost importance to succeed in business and economics. I believe that this internship will offer me the best combination to succeed and will enable me to learn to adapt to any professional environment, giving me an edge over my peers to reach future professional and academic goals.”
Mac Farley ’18, Business Major
“I am looking forward to learning more about what it is like to work for an accounting firm during an internship in Dublin, Ireland. I think this internship will help me to gain a global perspective on business and culture, while also giving me insight into possible career paths.”
Lucas Harjo ’18, Business Major
“Over the summer of 2017, I plan on traveling to Dublin, Ireland through the Stint Ireland organization to participate in an accounting internship. Not only am I looking forward to gaining experience from others, but I am also excited to grow in self-reliance while learning to interact within an unfamiliar situation away from home.”
Jesse Linkhorn ’18, Economics Major
“Having the opportunity to immerse myself in Shanghai, China will not only present a range of challenges, but the chance to step out of my comfort zone and experience a whole new lifestyle. I’m extremely excited, both as a student and a first time traveler, to be able to experience one of the economic capitals and cultural hubs of the world. I look forward to taking on my economic development internship with eagerness to learn about a unique and growing economy while developing a new cultural viewpoint.”
Jack Patton ’18, Economics Major
“As an economics major, I am beyond excited to complete an economic development internship this summer in Cape Town, South Africa. Working on economic development in Cape Town—where people are really focusing on it—will allow me to apply the economic principals I have learned in class to the real world. This summer will be my first time living and working abroad, but I am hoping that it is not my last.”
Daniel Venker ’19, Economics Major
“As an intern at a financial firm this summer in Shanghai, I will not only gain valuable work experience, but I will also finally get to immerse myself in a language that I have been studying for six years. I am excited to live in one of the largest cities in the world for two months, and to see all that the city has to offer; I also plan on traveling to other places throughout the country. This internship will serve as my introduction to international business and provide a foundation which I hope will lead to even more opportunities in my professional career down the road.”