Tommies are officially back on campus for the fall semester, and many are returning after spending their summers at valuable hands-on internships. From the Minnesota Department of Transportation to Wells Fargo, these University of St. Thomas students fanned out across the country, exploring careers and jobs in an industry of interest.
The St. Thomas Career Development Center helps students explore careers in a way that makes sense for them, and internships play a big role in that process. In fact, 75% of St. Thomas graduates complete at least one internship while enrolled (based on data provided by Class of 2022 graduates).
The Newsroom caught up with Tommies who recently returned from engaging internship opportunities to learn about their work, and how their experience is preparing them for careers.
Name: Caelan Collins ’24
Major: Financial management
Internship placement: Internal audit at Wells Fargo
Describe your internship and the kinds of projects you were responsible for.
Internal auditing is like being a detective. Our main job is to mitigate company risk by ensuring that internal business processes comply with company policies and the law. Wells Fargo is a big company, so almost every department has its own audit team. During my internship, I completed audit trainings, manager-assigned tasks, attended team meetings, and networked with professionals in other industries like corporate and investment banking.
How will this internship better prepare you for your career goals?
This internship will prepare me for my career goals by providing skills in risk management, compliance, and financial analysis that are applicable across industries. Networking with professionals and peers will also enhance my professional development, making me more versatile and ready for various career opportunities. Networking is so huge because if you can get your name in multiple departments, you open the door for other potential opportunities you wouldn’t even know were possible.
What is the most exciting project you worked on this summer?
The most exciting experience wasn’t a specific project I worked on but rather an incredible experience provided by Wells Fargo. For our induction week, the company flew every company intern to Orlando, Florida, where we stayed at Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort. We had daily training sessions, but in our free time we enjoyed the theme parks, rides, and the resort pool. It was a fantastic chance to network with interns from across the country and build lasting connections.
Name: Dimpi Patel ’25
Major: Data analytics with a domain in economics
Internship placement: Traffic engineering at the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT)
Describe your internship and the kinds of projects you were responsible for.
As a crash data analyst at MnDOT, I focused on projects that directly impact road safety across Minnesota. My role involved analyzing crash data to evaluate the effectiveness of various safety measures, such as rumble strips, wet reflective surfaces, and snow fences. I compared data from before and after these interventions to determine their impact on crash rates. Based on my findings, I created detailed reports that help assess whether these measures have made a meaningful difference in improving road safety.
Why were you interested in this internship?
I am passionate about contributing to a cause as important as road safety, and MnDOT’s commitment to the Toward Zero Deaths (TZD) initiative truly resonates with me. I enjoyed the challenge of working with various tools like ArcGIS Pro, Google Earth Pro, Crash MART, and SQL, and learning how to make maps using these tools, which allowed me to apply my technical skills to real-world problems.
What is the most exciting project you worked on this summer?
One of the highlights of this summer was participating in a field walk that involved flying on MnDOT planes to Moorhead. The mission was to assess the current state of pedestrian and biking lanes, identifying where improvements are needed.
How will this internship better prepare you for your career goals?
This internship has been really important in building my data analytics skills. I’ve been able to take the tools and techniques I learned in class and put them to use on real-world projects. Working with different types of data and tackling various challenges has made me even more certain that I want to pursue a career in data-driven decision-making.
Name: Sam Zupfer ’26
Major: Mechanical engineering
Internship placement: Automated assembly/life science at PAR Systems
Describe your internship and the kinds of projects you were responsible for.
At PAR I was treated as an entry-level engineer starting on day one of my internship. I was put on several different projects that have helped me learn and grow. These projects can be as simple as making a couple of brackets and pulling part numbers, to as complex as completely redesigning a machine. I got to work on this super cool machine that makes glucose monitors.
Why were you interested in this internship?
PAR has the reputation of working together as a team in a way that is enjoyable for people, to try to work out some incredibly difficult challenges to create a mind-boggling machine. This is the main reason why I thought PAR would be a cool place to work.
How will this internship better prepare you for your career goals?
This internship has put a legitimate experience in front of me that shows what engineers do for a living. I think that is important because sometimes when you are in school, at least I sometimes get so focused on the nitty-gritty of a class that I forget what the end goal is. So, I think having a better understanding of what an engineer actually does is kind of cool and helpful to think about while finishing out school.
What advice do you have for future Tommies pursuing internship experiences?
Getting an internship is not always the easiest thing to do, but once you do get one, take your time. You are an intern for a reason; for the first couple of weeks give yourself some leeway to learn and get familiar with the new job. You aren’t going to be an expert right away so try to not put that pressure on yourself. Also, ask as many questions as you can about your job and the company.
