Bernardo Morales ’24 — First, I would like to thank Roland Morin, Roy Kaplan, Dr. Mike Simmons, Dr. Robert Horton, and WLAIP for making this summer internship possible. Without their help, I would not have gained an unforgettable experience. This summer I had the opportunity to work with Bridge Builder Strategies virtually. Initially, the internship was meant to be hybrid, but I was offered the chance of spending the summer fully online. While working online was a challenge, I was still glad to be working under Dr. Mike Simmons, Wabash alumni, and CEO of Bridge Builder Strategies. Dr. Simmons mentored me the first week and told me I was going to play an essential piece at Bridge. My first week proved to me that I had to deliver fast-paced and quality work.
My day will start at 7:00 a.m. (CT) and I would go for a 30-minute run to make sure I was active and awake before working. I would make some coffee and breakfast and begin to work at 8:00 a.m. refining any details and ready to present my work. As a virtual intern, my dress code included a pair of sweatpants and a comfortable t-shirt; but by 9:00 a.m., I would put on a button-up shirt and have my first meeting of the day. In those meetings, we discussed the work we did yesterday and present new ideas that will help the work we do today. During the internship, I worked closely with a team of three students, two freshmen from Wabash College and one sophomore from Butler University, with projects which challenged both my soft and hard skills. With daily meetings and assignments, I was challenged every day to do tasks on time. We worked together on most projects, and we had our independent projects that would later play an important role.
My attitude, professionalism, and skills drastically changed for the better. I learned to socialize with my co-workers very well and by the time I end my internship I can call them my friends. I encourage every Wabash Student to take part in an internship because the experience will be unforgettable. I remember how afraid I was of asking questions and being wrong, but I learned that “being wrong will elevate the possibility of success” – Dr. Simmons.
