A summer spent sampling careers
St. Olaf College advisors and career coaches connect students to a menu of more than 5,000 internships, undergraduate research experiences, and other hands-on opportunities at a breadth of organizations ranging from nonprofits to Fortune 500 companies. More than 90 percent of Oles participate in internships, research, and other opportunities to prepare for their future — with robust support from the Piper Center for Vocation and Career. As part of a new series, we’re sharing reflections from Oles on their summer internship and research experiences.
For St. Olaf College students, summer internships offer a chance to take what they’ve learned on the Hill and put it into practice — while discovering new interests, building professional skills, and exploring where their education might lead.
This summer, Oles pursued opportunities across a wide range of fields and locations, gaining hands-on experience in everything from research and business to the arts, health care, and public service. We asked students to share a glimpse into where their internships took them, what they worked on, and what they learned along the way.
“The most impactful part of my experience was getting to chat with other lawyers and members of the legal profession. I had always believed that I had to take the LSAT and go to law school right after St. Olaf, but hearing multiple experiences really reminded me that the law is such a broad field and no one has the same journey.”
— Araba Akyianu ’27, reflecting on her Svoboda Legal Scholars Program in St. Paul, Minnesota
“The most impactful part of this experience was realizing that I genuinely enjoy the process of becoming a physician. Working alongside physicians, pharmacists, residents, and poison specialists also showed me how collaborative medicine truly is. This experience not only strengthened my confidence in pursuing medical school, but also gave me a greater appreciation for academic medicine and lifelong learning.”
— Jeremey Cownover ’27, reflecting on his Rockswold Health Scholars Program in Minneapolis, Minnesota
“The most impactful part of my experience was getting to help sort product donations and connecting with those nonprofits where the product went. Through the product donation process, I was able to see firsthand the impact our product has on people and communities.”
— Julia Grayson ’27, reflecting on her Corporate Social Responsibility Internship with Red Wing Shoe Company in Red Wing, Minnesota
“Taking a very humanistic approach, Hennepin Healthcare physicians and researchers that I shadowed and worked with this summer acted as advocates, defenders, and therapists for each of their patients, seeking to meet needs that transcended the physical. I hope to embody this practice in my future medical career, and this summer experience confirmed for me that medicine is where I belong!”
— Abrianna Nissley ’27, reflecting on her Rockswold Health Scholars Program experience in Minneapolis, Minnesota
“Brevard has multiple orchestras that the students rotate through, but in my first week I got to play with the Brevard Music Center Orchestra (BMCO), which is a mix of faculty and students. I played second harp alongside the harp faculty member, and it was so inspiring to me to watch a professional up close in action. Aside from this, getting to build connections with other harpists from all over the country has been very fulfilling, and they are relationships I hope to keep for a long time!”
— Amalia Ranstrom ’27, reflecting on her experience at Brevard College Orchestral Institute in Brevard, North Carolina