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Thambipillay ’22 – enFocus | Economics Research

Posted in 2021 Summer Internships, Academic Research, CIBE, CIBE Internship Program, Uncategorized

I want to thank the numerous donors and friends of Wabash College whose generous contributions have made internships like mine possible. I’m very grateful to the Wabash College CIBE and Roy Kaplan at Career Services for their help in seeking these wonderful opportunities this summer. Finally, I’d like to express my gratitude to my peers and mentors at enFocus and Dr. Saha for providing meaningful and impactful experiences this summer.

I spent a large portion of my summer in South Bend, IN, working as an intern at enFocus, a local non-profit consulting company committed to building innovation in the region. Interns split their work between primary and secondary projects in a 70/30 split. As an industry-side intern, my primary project consisted of data lake development along with data visualization. I spent most of my time creating visualizations in Tableau, and I enjoyed being able to ask the client high-level questions about the desired product while having the freedom to be creative as I developed these automated dashboards. Through my secondary project, I contributed to the development of a program to aid Elkhart Community Schools students amidst a growing era of technology and internet reliance. We performed market and population research to gain a thorough understanding of the underlying problem.

I returned to our beautiful campus for the last four weeks of summer to aid Dr. Sujata Saha in her research on the impact of housing price shocks on different types of consumption. This research work felt familiar as I assisted Dr. Saha in a previous research topic last summer. Like last summer, I enjoyed immersing myself in the literature that I usually wouldn’t find myself reading. In addition to performing a literature review and searching for sources related to the topic in mind, I collected and cleaned data before performing regression analyses.

I could not have asked for a better summer experience. I am incredibly thankful that I had the opportunity to enjoy the best of both non-profit consulting and economic research. I also made numerous great connections throughout these internships, and I enjoyed experiencing a new city this summer.


Sacco ’22 – Career Services Operations

Posted in 2021 Summer Internships, Uncategorized

Ryan Sacco ’22 — First off, I would like to give a big thank you to everyone who contributes donations to Wabash to allow for such an array of internship opportunities to happen. I would also like to thank Roy Kaplan and Anthony Mendez for preparing me for this position and helping me before the interview while also guiding me along through the position in the first few weeks. I would also like to thank all the other people I was able to collaborate with over the summer to get ideas for some of my projects.

I spent the majority of the summer working on freshening up the suit room and inventorying all the items we have for students to check out. I was able to create a system for the suit room that allowed for easier access to the inventory of items that students might need to use. I am grateful for this experience because it has taught me about attention to detail and patience. Putting in 300+ items of clothing in the system can be frustrating and monotonous but

I was also able to work on the Freshman 15 resumes. Working with a few other interns and Emily Hall, we created a resume that incoming freshmen can look at to see a good example of a Wabash-styled resume. The Freshman 15 theme this year was a superhero, and we also had the pleasure of creating a new superhero for this resume.

I’m thankful for the experiences and connections I have gained from this summer. The experiences learned here will undoubtedly help me in my future endeavors.


Goheen ’24 – Leonard-McDowell

Posted in 2021 Summer Internships, CIBE, CIBE Internship Program, Uncategorized

Will Goheen ’24 — The experience Wabash College and the CIBE helped me get this summer was
amazing. The BIP lessons and skills we learned helped us obtain skills that would directly help with
our summer jobs, so it was really cool to see the improvement happen so fast. Learning how to
use excel and many other computer applications more efficiently is a criminally undervalued
skill, and helped a tremendous amount. Personally, it helped me be way more productive and
shave hours off of my time to complete my workload.

A huge special thanks to Roland and Anthony for helping me be prepared for the initial
internship interview. Having never been interviewed for a job before, it was a very daunting task,
but they helped me to be collected and prepared for the interview. Alejandro also helped a
tremendous amount with soft skills such as how to read people, respond to questions, and
convey your thoughts and answers better. The breakfast challenge we would do helped to put
us in an uncomfortable spot, and challenged us to be better communicators These skills also
helped me feel more comfortable in discussions during my internship.

This summer, the BIP also helped me secure an internship with Leonard-McDowell.
Leonard-McDowell is a tech-based venture capitalist firm located in Zionsville Indiana. They
primarily invest and help sell companies’ technology that offer solutions to technological
problems companies face in the 21st Century. During this internship, I primarily worked in sales
and learned a lot. One of the best things I was taught about sales is identifying the problem.
Leonard-McDowell sold many products from over 8 companies. My background is not based on
technology, so Frank Leonard, the CEO, and founder told me I did not have to know every detail
about every product. I simply needed to know the problem is solved, and I knew how to sell the
product. I also learned a great deal of business, manufacturing, and marketing terms. This was
a huge benefit because now when I hear professionals talk, I can join the conversation and be
knowledgeable.


Bolen ’22 – Archon Tech

Posted in 2021 Summer Internships, Dill Grant Internships, Uncategorized

Thomas Bolen ’22 — To begin I would like to thank all of the gracious alumni donors to the Dill Fund that makes
opportunities like these possible. I would like to personally thank Roy Kaplan at Career services
for all of his help.


This summer I had the opportunity to work for Tony Unfried ‘03 and his company Archon Tech.
I worked for the security software division of Archon Tech. Among many other projects like client
prospecting and advertisement creation, I learned how to navigate the software and in turn do
quality control for it as well. Over the course of two months I learned about what goes into
project management and what that requires, numerous marketing & advertising strategies, user
interface/user experience and the design process, project creation and how to pitch it, and
finally important concepts that are needed to be successful in the technology market.

Overall, this experience was fantastic. It is always exciting to learn new things and become
wiser in real-world realities and this internship definitely provided both. Everyone on the staff
was a big help not just professionally but personally. This internship has definitely helped me
determine what I want my future to be and how to get there.


Thomas ’24 – Town of Danville

Posted in 2021 Summer Internships, Uncategorized, WLAIP

Steven Thomas ’24 — I would like to thank the WLAIP program for funding my internship and Dr. Pittard and Dr. Horton for teaching me and other WLAIP students about internships and what it means to be a Wabash man. I would like to especially thank Roy Kaplan for helping me find the right internship for me. He helped set me up with specific contacts and gave me ideas of who I could talk to. This lead me to brainstorm ideas for doing an internship in my own town.

I had a very interesting internship that might have been different than others. I spent eight weeks in the summer working with the town of Danville. Every week I was with a different department of the town learning and helping with work. I have done everything from tar roofs to going on a ride-along with the police and fire department. The departments I was with were Danville water, wastewater, public works, treasury, admin office, police, fire, and parks. My time with admin was spent in important meetings such as the traffic committee talking about the plans to create new roads. It was a great opportunity to learn about the future of the town and where it’s going. When it came to the water department, I learned how the water gets to the people and the chemical tests needed to make sure the water is healthy for consumption. I also spent time reading water meters and flushing hydrants. With wastewater, I learned how the plant is maintained and all the extensive tests needed to be done to make sure the water is safe for the environment. I spent time there helping tar the roof of one of their buildings and helping clean lift stations of anything that is not liquid. When it came to public works, I learned how to locate water, sewer, and gas lines. I spent a lot of time there helping put in stop bars and other labor jobs. With treasury, I learned how the town organizes the citizens’ money. I spent most of that week with the Danville Chamber of Commerce helping to bring business to Danville. During my time with the police, I spent every day on a ride-along observing the police doing their work. With fire, I did the same. Some days I would be with Medic on an ambulance and some days on Engine. I even got to witness dive training for when they must go underwater to save someone or recover something. Finally, at the parks department, I spent a couple days helping the park program with children and other days helping with things the park needed to be done.

I have done and learned so many things that if I wrote them all down it could be a short novel. I am very grateful for this internship and this opportunity that I had, and I cannot wait to see where my next destination will be the next summer. I look forward to seeing what my future at Wabash College has in store.


Hooton ’24 – Program Operations

Posted in 2021 Summer Internships, CIBE, CIBE Internship Program, Uncategorized

Sam Hooton ’24 — Firstly, I would like to thank all the donors who graciously helped make paid internships for many Wabash students possible this summer. In my specific case, I’d like to extend my thanks to Wabash College. I also appreciate Roland Morin and Anthony Mendez at the Center for Innovation, Business, and Entrepreneurship (CIBE) for providing me with this fantastic opportunity.

This summer, I served as the Program Operations Intern for the CIBE at Wabash College. Throughout the summer, I attended and participated in the Business Innovation Program (BIP). I learned many valuable business and life skills from the BIP Program, such as Emotional Intelligence (EQ) and problem-solving through the lean method. I utilized some of these skills in the Harvard Business School case studies that I deliberated with 20 other Wabash students over. The skills that I gathered from the BIP program will be very valuable in my future career aspirations.

Along with the BIP program, I was tasked with editing and posting over 150 blog posts. This job required me to exude proper communication skills and extreme responsibility. This work helped me hone those skills even further as I gain more experience in the business world.

Once again, I would like to thank all those involved in making internships like mine possible for Wabash students.


Olive ’24 – The Peterson Company

Posted in 2021 Summer Internships, CIBE, CIBE Internship Program, Uncategorized

Will Olive ’24 — First, I want to thank the alumni donors for funding my summer internship experience with The Peterson Company and Business Innovation Program (BIP) at Wabash College. Also, I thank the Center for Innovation, Business & Entrepreneurship (CIBE), CIBE Senior Fellow Anthony Mendez ’20, and Associate Dean Roland Morin ’91. The internship opportunities truly educated me and deepened my knowledge within the business world. Next, I would like to thank all the alumni that took time out of their days to meet with us. These alumni were a great help, sources of knowledge, and they also gave us insight into their Wabash experience and how it helped them.


At The Peterson Company, I was part of their project management team. I was part of the on-site management of 7 different projects, which included ten buildings. The tasks included contacting, communicating, and coordinating the work necessary for completing each of the buildings. Through this process, I learned how to use a couple of new programs that streamline the process. I learned how to use Microsoft Project, which is scheduling software that makes it easier to predict when work will be ready to be started. Also, I learned how to use Procore, a project management software that stores the prints and drawings, a copy of the schedule, and easy access to the subcontractors.


Overall, I learned a tremendous amount from both The Peterson Company and BIP. The Harvard Business School case studies through the BIP allowed me to think critically about important business decisions. The Emotional Intelligence (EQ) sessions taught me ways to communicate effectively and intelligently. The EQ sessions allowed me to become more aware and comfortable when handling challenging situations. I believe it will help me when dealing with clients and coworkers. This summer has been immensely beneficial for my personal and professional growth. I cannot thank Anthony Mendez ’20, Associate Dean Roland Morin ’91, and the rest of the CIBE enough for the incredible opportunity with the BIP


Nolan ’22 – Film Research Project

Posted in 2021 Summer Internships, Dill Grant Internships, Uncategorized

Jack Nolan ’22 — During the summer of 2021, I had the privilege of writing and directing my own film. I would like to thank many individuals for their collaboration and help over the course of this summer; however, it would simply not have been possible from the start if not for the generous support of the Dill family that I have gained through my collaboration with Roland Morin. 

For my project, I was able to meet and get ahold of fellow Wabash students and alumni who shared the same dreams and passion for the film industry as I do. For an all Male school in the middle of Indiana to bring extraordinary individuals with varying experiences and talents together for a project like this was amazing. 

Although I have not completely finished the project, I am looking forward to sharing the production this upcoming year and letting everyone experience the power of storytelling and perspective created by the diverse individuals who helped me put the story together. Thank you again to all of my supporters near and from afar, and I look forward to sharing my film soon. 


Cowley ’24 – Mathematics Research

Posted in 2021 Summer Internships, Academic Research, Uncategorized

Gabe Cowley ’24 — This summer I worked on researching Rainbow Numbers (part of Number Theory) with Professor Ansaldi and fellow student Kihyun Kim for 8 weeks. I learned how to create proofs in a research setting and I got to create and prove (or disprove) many hypotheses. I learned personally what it is like to work extensively on one problem, giving me a better idea of what a career in research may look like. I saw what it was like for us could work as a team toward a common goal while each of us still pursued our own individual interests within those goals.

What I especially loved about the research was the process of learning as we went along. To solve one problem or another, I would learn the appropriate mathematics needed, seeing how different fields could be used for the problem. The internship helped me gain comfortability with Mathematica programming and familiarity with Python, having to write programs in one language and use programs in another.

This research experience has been very valuable to me because through it I’ve learned what it is like to do research in pure mathematics, helping to shape my future career goals. I would like to thank those who made this internship possible – the Wabash College Math Department and the Wabash College Career Services for offering this position, those who provided the funds, Professor Ansaldi, and Kihyun Kim.


Miller ’22 – Interactivity Foundation

Posted in 2021 Summer Internships, Uncategorized, Wabash Public Policy Project

Noah Miller ’22 — First of all, I would like to thank the Wabash Public Policy Project, because without them I would not have had the opportunity to intern with the Interactivity Foundation this summer. It is by the generosity of donors and the WPPP that I and other Wabash students are able to have fantastic summer experiences such as mine. Secondly, I would like to thank my internship coordinator, Dr. Shannon Wheatley Hartman, who gave me the opportunity to be a contributing member as opposed to fetching coffees. I really appreciated your approach and felt that the knowledge gained this summer was invaluable.

This summer as an intern with the Interactivity Foundation’s education department I had the opportunity to help develop a collaborative discussion curriculum that will be used by schools and communities across the country. I created four different modules to be placed into the Collaborative Discussion Toolkit, and I took this as an opportunity to see what was missing from the Toolkit that I could add. The experience of developing curriculum materials was eye-opening as to the backend process that our professors and teachers go through to create the classes that we come to know. This experience gave me a deeper appreciation for all the hard work and time that goes into developing a classroom curriculum.

Not only did I get the opportunity to develop some curriculum, but I also had the opportunity to help present the Collaborative Discussion Toolkit at the NCDD Summer Springboard conference that took place in July. Helping present these materials to a national conference was a really fun experience that gave me the opportunity to work on my public speaking skills as well as network within the dialogue and deliberation community. As well as having the opportunity to present at a conference, internally the Interactivity Foundation ran two summer trainings to prepare professors and community leaders to implement the Collaborative Discussion Toolkit into their programs. These two pieces of training gave me a chance to learn more about the planning and organization of online, multi-day events.

Overall, my internship experience with the Interactivity Foundation allowed me to develop and refine personal skills while also having the opportunity to engage with people and materials in ways that I had not had the chance to before. The style of the Interactivity Foundation made me really reevaluate the way that I make choices and the need to exhaust exploration of the problem before needing to come to a concrete decision.


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