Taking Lehigh to the World and Bringing the World to Lehigh

Iacocca International Internship Program
Student Report

Summer 2022

OFFICE OF
INTERNATIONALAFFAIRSProgram Statement: The Iacocca International Internship Program (IIIP) provides
practical work experience, grounded in global context, aimed at enhancing
students’ career readiness and intercultural competency.
Travel resumed in 2022 and this was the first time to facilitate internships in a hybrid
fashion, with 32 students working in country and eight students working virtually foroverseas host organizations. Thank you to our program partners, IES Abroad and
SIT, as well as the organizations who directly hosted our students.
In addition to reading through the student stories here, please consider hearing thestudent voices and testimonials on this short video.

2022 Iacocca Interns at a Glance

BY CLASS YEARSR
5%BY COLLEGE

GR FR
2% 3%

JR
45%

IC
15%

HE
5%

BU
17%

SO
45%
AS
43%

BY ETHNICITY
MultiRacial
10%

EN
20%

GENDER DISTRIBUTION
Hispanic/Latino7%
AfricanAmericanNonHispanic
12%

Male
40%

Female60%
White
NonHispanic
53%

Asian
American
18%

2022 Iacocca Interns at a Glance

FINANCIAL AID STATUS
Low
5%

Medium
20%

None
5%
High
70%

PRIOR INTERNATIONAL
EXPERIENCE
Yes
12%

No
88%

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Name

Page

Tanzida Ahmed, Italy............................................................................................................. 2-3
Martina Albin, Spain.............................................................................................................. 4-5
Hamza Ali, Hong Kong .......................................................................................................... 6-7
Samantha Cardenas, Chile ................................................................................................... 8-9
Ashley Carper, Italy ............................................................................................................... 10-11
Ilias Chekkori, Germany ....................................................................................................... 12-13
Gibby DiCenso, Italy ............................................................................................................. 14-15
Tim DiPalo, Italy .................................................................................................................... 16-17
Eirini Drosos, Ireland ............................................................................................................ 18-19
Allison Duane, Chile .............................................................................................................. 20-21
Julianna Duva, Australia ....................................................................................................... 22-23
Sarah Elsayed, Ecuador ........................................................................................................ 24-25
Brooke Erickson, Chile .......................................................................................................... 26-27
Steven Escobar-Mendez, Vietnam ....................................................................................... 28-29
Samuel Gin, Republic of Serbia ............................................................................................ 30-31
Alleyna Jean-Philippe, Ireland .............................................................................................. 32-33
Georgia Kiriakou, Netherlands ............................................................................................. 34-35
Sabrina Lancaster, Italy ........................................................................................................ 36-37
Paola Lebrón, South Africa ................................................................................................... 38-39
Amy Lederer, Spain .............................................................................................................. 40-41
Billy Maroun, Spain .............................................................................................................. 42-43
Austin McCullough, Argentina ............................................................................................. 44-45
Roman Mitchell, Spain ......................................................................................................... 46-47
Rehan Naeem, Italy .............................................................................................................. 48-49
Ojashwi Rani Nakarmi, Hong Kong ....................................................................................... 50-51
Alondra Perez, Panama ........................................................................................................ 52-53
Anna Piecuch, Jordan ........................................................................................................... 54-55
Esteban Procel, Netherlands ................................................................................................ 56-57
Gianna Ricciardi, Ireland ...................................................................................................... 58-59
Hajer Sabil, Italy ................................................................................................................... 60-61
Stephen Salamone, Netherlands ......................................................................................... 62-63
Bri Sauder, Australia ............................................................................................................. 64-65
Madeleine Schott, Kenya ..................................................................................................... 66-67
Kunj Shah, Germany ............................................................................................................. 68-69
Eirinn Sikes, Germany .......................................................................................................... 70-71
Ghay Soe, South Africa ......................................................................................................... 72-73
Neel Surya, Hong Kong ......................................................................................................... 74-75
Benjamin Szmodis, Ireland ................................................................................................... 76-77
Sydney Waterman, Netherlands .......................................................................................... 78-79
Norman Zvenyika, Bermuda ................................................................................................ 80-81

Tanzida Ahmed
Italy
College ofBusiness &Economics
Management

NoLogoManagment
HR Intern

Company and Position Description: This summer I worked for NoLogo Management, which
is a modeling agency in Milan, Italy. NoLogo is a small agency that manages models from allover the world and finds them the best bookings to further develop their careers. I was an HRintern for NoLogo and some of my responsibilities included communicating with modelingagencies in the U.S to expand NoLogo’s client outreach on behalf of the bookers, updating
contracts and photo documentation of the models through a data platform called model studio,
and collaborating with my international team members to create a strategic outreach plan for theagency to optimize recruitment of US-based models. One of the most unique and by far myfavorite experience I had at NoLogo was working with my team during Milan Men’s Fashion
Week to execute casting runway roles for brands such as Giorgio Armani and Dolce & Gabbana.

NoLogo Workspace

My Coworkers

2

Tanzida Ahmed
Italy

Venice, Italy

Visiting mountains

Value Derived from the Experience: Despite the cultural differences and language barrier I
faced during my time in Italy, I would have to say that it was one of the greatest and most uniqueexperiences of my life. I struggled a lot at work during the first couple of weeks of my internshipbecause the learning style was completely different than what I was used to. I expected to have astructured schedule with daily tasks, but my workplace wanted me to seek tasks myself and learn
from the work they did every day. Although there were several days that were challenging I wasable to learn and grow from my experiences and the mistakes I’ve made. I learned that taking
initiative is crucial in the workplace wherever I am because it shows that I am interested in the job
I’m doing and I am always willing to do more. The biggest lesson that I learned from my experience
this summer is that I always have to try again if I fail at something the first time around.

3

Martina Albin
Spain
College ofArts &
Sciences
Journalism

Sant Jordi Hostels
Marketing InternCompany and Position Description: Sant Jordi Hostels is company that runs three hostels in
Barcelona and one in Lisbon. Each of the hostels have their own theme to make travels aunique experience. Rock Palace is seen as the party hostel as the decorations are inspired byrock and modern music. It attracts a lot of costumers because it has a rooftop pool. Sant Jordi
Sagrada Familia is a skater hostel as it has an indoor skate ramp. The decorations are art andgraffiti. Sant Jordi Hostels Garcia is seen as the hipster hostel, with its more calming
atmosphere. In Lisbon, the hostel is more designer and chic; it also has its own imperial bar.
The motto of the hostel is “more than a hostel, a life experience”. The company wants their
hostel to be remembered and rather than a random place people stay during travels. For thecompany I worked as a marketing intern in which I researched and created marketing strategies
to attract customers. Additionally, I worked on content creation. I created Instagram stories andreels as well as articles about Barcelona and the hostel.

Hostels Mantra

Hostelzen

4Martina Albin
Spain

Spanish Dish: Paella

Barcelona Cathedral

Value Derived from the Experience: Spain was a wonderful country to explore as it was myfirst time traveling out of the country. Personally, I learned how to spend time alone and to
explore Barcelona by myself. I stepped outside of my comfort zone by doing that. I learned how
to enjoy time to myself. Professionally, I learned that marketing was not the environment inwhich I want to work in the future. I also learned some valuable communication and patienceskills that I can use in jobs to come.

5College of Arts &Sciences
Computer Science

Hutchison Ports
Terminal
Development
InternCompany and Position Description: Hutchinson Ports operates ports in 26
countries in Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, the Americas and Australia. They
also strive to be more efficient at their locations. In my internship, I was looking for a
way to accurately model the waiting times of autonomous trucks at a terminal.

A terminal at Hutchison Ports

Autonomous Trucks

6

Street Food is a Big Thing in Hong Kong

Hong Kong Life is Fast-Paced

Value Derived from the Experience: This experience helped show me what path I
want to go into in terms of career (modeling and simulations). It was a bit stressful attimes, but slowly I started taking more initiative and started leading the conversation
during the meetings. It was very rewarding to see that my work will probably be usedin planning for big projects.

7Samantha Cardenas
Chile
College of Arts &Sciences

Yunus Peñalolén

Psychology &EnglishOccupational
Psychologist InternCompany and Position Description: This summer, I worked at Yunus Peñalolén in theirSantiago, Chile office as an occupational psychologist intern. In this position, I had theopportunity to shadow and complete various tasks with my supervisor. I shadowed clinicalinterviews and tests that my supervisor conducted, and oversaw, under an occupational
psychology context. Additionally, I had the opportunity to work with my supervisor to learn how
he reviewed psychological reports and notes from the interviews he conducted. Overall, thisinternship was a great experience to learn about these clinical tasks I might encounter in the
future workforce and to also learn about the work environment of an occupational psychologist.

Summer Work Team

Yunus Peñalolen Office8

Samantha Cardenas
Chile

Brooke & I in Valparaiso

Patagonia Weekend Trip

Value Derived from the Experience: To begin, this internship was an extremely valuable
opportunity that gave me knowledge and experience in a corporate work environment in the fieldof psychology, which is unique from common psychology jobs like private practices and offices.
This experience provided me with essential information that can now help me when I am
considering future career pathways after graduation. Additionally, I have learned important skills
about conducting clinical interviews and writing clinical reports in a psychological context that will
be helpful to my future career.
Aside from my internship, living in Chile for two months was an unforgettable experience thatprovided me with a lot of lessons. I got to live in the center of Santiago and had the experience ofmaking my own schedule and commuting around Chile, while living with my best friend Brooke
which made my internship so memorable. I also got to learn how to communicate in Spanish bothin my workplace and daily life which was important in teaching me how to communicate moreclearly and efficiently. All around, I am extremely grateful for this internship and the Iacocca
program for making this possible.

9Ashley Carper
Italy
College of Arts
& Science

University ofRome, TorVergata

Biology

Anatomy Lab InternCompany and Position Description: I was placed at the University of Rome, Tor Vergata intheir Anatomy Lab. I was considered an intern in this lab. Within the lab there were four
different areas of research being conducted but I focused in the brain cancer lab. In this lab, I
was able to shadow a PhD student and perform various tasks for her such as PCR tests,
immunofluorescent staining’s, and western blot analysis.

Me and the other interns at work!

A picture of my workspace!
10

Ashley Carper
Italy

The Colosseum!

The street I lived on!

Value Derived from the Experience: I learned a lot from this experience, some that I cannot
begin to put in to words. Going in to my internship and my time in Rome, I was super nervousand excited for the eight and a half weeks ahead of me. It was definitely a struggle to acclimate
to their laid-back culture but being able to make these changes is definitely something that I canuse in my work life moving forward. I feel like this experience has not only given me aninternship that I was able to learn a lot in, but also allowed me to learn to be adaptable todifferent situations that are out of my control. It is definitely a once in a lifetime experience that I
wouldn’t change for the world!

11

Ilias Chekkori
Germany
College ofEngineering
Computer Science

TU-Dortmund
SoftwareDevelopment
internCompany and Position Description: I worked at the Institute of Energy Systems, Energy
Efficiency, and Energy Economics (ie3) at TU-Dortmund, Germany. Their work focuses on
evaluating the German energy and grid situation and developing innovative solutions to help
deal with current and future energy issues. This effort is supported through multiple projects andpartnerships with companies throughout Europe, which explains why the main office is locatedin the Technologie Zentrum Dortmund, a technology center where multiple tech companies
come together and tackle different problems. My main task during the internship was to work ona software development project where I would design a web-based software tool used to be able
to remotely monitor and control all lab equipment in the testing center. I worked in a small team
where I focused mainly on the front-end aspect of the tool. By the end of my internship, we wereable to roll out an Alpha version and make it public.

My team and I

My office desk

12

Ilias Chekkori
Germany

Picture with Friends

Cologne, Germany

Value Derived from the Experience: Undoubtedly this has been one of the most impactfulexperiences both culturally and professionally. I have had the chance to explore the Rhur Area ofGermany, making many friends along the way. The central location of Dortmund also allowed me
to travel to numerous neighboring countries such as France, Luxemburg, the Netherlands, andBelgium. It was an enriching and immersive experience that I will cherish for the rest of my life.
Along the way, I have learned so much about how to navigate the German workplace and apply
the knowledge that I have to tackle real-world issues. I was put to the test many times throughtricky situations with the language barrier and navigating complicated public transportation, but
after every challenge, I grew more knowledgeable and learned from my mistakes. This
experience taught me that tribulations are part of life and shouldn't be feared. Having to live in aforeign country for two months isn't the easiest thing to do, being an intern at a German company
is even more difficult, but the newfound perspective and experiences were well worth it. In theend, my Iaccoca experience was very impactful and is one step forward in becoming a global
citizen. It taught me to take more risks and learn from others. It showed me how much growth
can come from traveling13

Gibby DiCenso
Italy
College of Business& Economics
Marketing

Net4Market
Marketing/
Graphic Design
InternCompany and Position Description: At Net4market, we primarily focused on website
development, and social media post creation. Within the website, we worked to design mockups on AdobeXD, to redesign the existing websites of Net4market and Network Imprese and to
start new designs on their up and coming website, News4market. We then took our designs into
Wordpress, the program used to create website layouts, and the designs. To do so, we had togain an understanding of the coding languages of HTML and CSS. Additionally, we had to learn
about and work to improve the company websites SEO, or search engine optimization by writing
meta descriptions, and focusing on what improvements needed to be made to the websites todecrease clutter, and increase efficiency. On Wordpress, we copied the designs into theprogram very methodically, with exact calculations of image/text sizing, and color choices.
These drafts were tested multiple times for accuracy, until we developed final products for thewebsite previews.
Separately from web-design, we used AdobeXD, Photoshop, and Illustrator to create social
media posts and advertising content about Net4market as a whole, the welfare practices of thecompany, the functions of the e-procurement software, and more. We made individual as wellas carousel posts for Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook.

Website Templates on AdobeXD

Social Media Carousel Post

14

Gibby DiCenso
Italy

Tent sale day

Historic Duomo in Cremona

Value Derived from the Experience: From this experience, I feel that I learned a lot about
myself, my work ethic, and my global skills. I proved to my coworkers, boss and supervisor that I
was really dedicated to understanding their culture by trying to learn their language, andparticipate in their community events like festivals on Thursday nights in July. I realized that I am
capable of being creative even in technological fields of work; I thought that I would struggle inexcelling in this type of work, but I found ways to still express myself creatively, in a way that mybosses appreciated. I feel that professionally I have gained such a broad skillset in web designand social media design that will be of value to me in any type of position in marketing, and in thebusiness world overall. I have definitely gained a competitive edge as a potential employee forany company, as I put everything I had into this experience to learn as much as possible,
cultivate relationships with my coworkers, and embrace an entirely new culture. By constantly
paying attention to my surroundings, I gained a newfound appreciation for the Italian "way of life"that I found was a lot more down to earth than the way Americans are typically overworked, andstressed out.

15

Tim DiPalo
Italy
College ofBusiness &Economics
Supply Chain
Mgmt & Finance

Amaris Consulting
Consulting InternCompany and Position Description: Amaris Consulting is a technology consulting
company with many locations across Europe. Amaris provides consulting services infour major industries: Information Systems & Digital, Telecom, Life Sciences andEngineering.
The office that I interned at in Milan, Italy was focusing on two major projects with Nestle andNespresso. The majority of the projects that I worked on during my internship were focused on
the recruiting and hiring processes. I looked over resumes, searched for clients, and analyzed
their recruiting process from an outside point of view. My most in depth project was examining
Amaris' current recruiting process and suggesting improvements. I compared their hiring website
and job listings to those of their competitors, sat in on interviews, and spoke with members of
their recruiting team about their goals to ultimately suggest actionable improvements to their
recruiting system. Additionally, during the last couple of weeks of my internship, I was able toshadow members of the supply chain management team in their daily activities.

My Workspace

Breakroom16

Tim DiPalo
Italy

Lunch at Lake Maggoire

Duomo at Night

Value Derived from the Experience: My experience in Italy within the Italian culture and throughmy internship has taught me a lot about myself, international cultures, and how I handle being in aforeign environment. Although a challenging experience, I feel as though I will return to the stateswith a new perspective and many new skills gained from my internship. I have learned a lot about
what it means to be a good communicator, especially when working with people who come fromdifferent cultures. I also learned a lot about patience and how to manage my time and do more
effective work throughout my internship.
Starting to understand the different attitudes and practices within the Italian culture and thereasons behind them has helped me to become more open-minded throughout this experience.
This open-mindedness that I have built toward different cultures will strongly support my goal ofgetting comfortable with different cultures in the future. I also now have a much more in-depth
understanding of international business and, more specifically, the consulting industry through myinternship at Amaris Consulting.

17

Eirini Drosos
Ireland
College of Arts &Sciences

SCORE

Computer
ScienceResearch InternCompany and Position Description: SCORE (Smart Control of the Climate Resilience inEuropean Coastal Cities) is a nonprofit research company based in various different coastal
cities around the European Union. Their main goal is to develop easily implementable, climatefriendly strategies to adapt cities to varying levels of climate change. My position with the
Dublin-based branch of the project was very pivotal. I helped to render various cities, including
Rosses Point in Sligo and the Marina of Massa in Massa, Italy, using geographical data anddifferent software. Ultimately, these rendering would be put into the popular video game
Minecraft, and would be given to citizens of various ages in order to present climate issues tothem in an easily approachable manner. The citizens would then be able to play around with the"cities" and help fend off climate change virtually, giving the real researchers ideas about how
they could be scaled up to solve real-world problems.

Rosses Point Beach

Marina Di Massa, Intaly

18Eirini Drosos
IrelandBelfast, Northern Ireland

GalwayValue Derived from the Experience: I gained many valuable things from this internship. For
one, it has helped me narrow down my scope of interest in terms of possible career paths.
While I really enjoyed the work I was doing, I am not sure that I would want to pursue that fulltime. Despite this, I learned a lot about climate initiatives in the EU and about various GIS
software and procedures that I otherwise may not have ever known about. Culturally, Ireland
was a very rich place to intern in. With so much fresh history, the country is ever-evolving, andDublin itself is a very young city. Ireland is also very easily traversable; visiting Galway, Sligo,
Belfast, and other cities on the island all give unique cultural perspectives that, when pieced
together, provide important context about the country's socioeconomic, political, and cultural
backgrounds.

19

Allison Duane
Chile
College ofArts &
Sciences

Good Neighbors
InternIntern’l Affairs &Economics
Company and Position Description: I worked for Good Neighbors Chile this summer. They strive
to reduce inequality in children's education. They strive for equal and fair children's rights andeducational opportunities. I helped the organization this summer by researching and writing a small
paper, as well as creating infographics and promotional videos and posts to help educate people
on GN and their mission. I also helped run a STEM/robotics event in one of the schools theycollaborate with.

STEM Lesson

Hands on Learning
20

Allison Duane
Chile

Chilean Celebration

Ceremony

Value Derived from the Experience: This internship and experience with Good Neighbors inChile were very valuable to me both professionally and personally. I learned about how NGOs
can operate globally and with an international perspective, how work culture varies from country
to country and how to adjust, as well as learning new research and marketing skills. Theinternship affirmed my belief that I want to work for a global NGO after graduation.

21

Julianna Duva
Australia
RCEAS

Paxform

Integr. BusinessEngineering

MarketingManagerCompany and Position Description: Paxform is a startup company that digitalizes forms andallows organizations to be able to share these forms with employees and others. Paxform
consists of a mobile app where information is stored so that consumers can fill out forms more
quickly, a Web application that companies and organizations will sign up for to be able to create
forms on this platform that can be published onto the mobile app, and then a website where all
the necessary support, contact, pricing, and FAQ information lives. My role at Paxform has
been quite all over the place. I feel that if there was something to call my position it would besomething like "executive secretary". With that, I am pretty much my boss's best friend. I began
creating a Business Model Canvas for the company to be able to learn more about what they do
and what their mission is. After, I went into software tasks and trying to locate bugs/glitches in
the mobile application and then send those to developers to fix and edit. Then I became more in
charge by being the only one with access to the key for the 2nd and 3rd floor of the office andthe ability to book meeting rooms for us. I began hosting many of our stand-up meetings that
occurred daily, and having frequent meetings with my boss, Chidi, discussing different topics
that he wanted opinions on.

Dinner with Colleagues

Analyzing Data in Excel

22

Julianna Duva
Australia

Australian Zoo

Opera House

Value Derived from the Experience: There are so many great things that I have learned fromthis experience. Almost too many to count. I have been able to gain time management skills
where I am able to work on several tasks in a day for a certain period to be able to complete themby the designated timeline. I have learned how to communicate with those older than me and beable to interview potential candidates for a position at the company. In terms of careerawareness, I have seen that you can do a lot more than you think you can. Being an engineer, I
didn't know if this work was best suited for me. I now have experience in analytics, software
engineering, marketing, and more because I took a chance. I can lead meetings confidently while
recording other employees' tasks and am able to give feedback and take feedback extremely
well. My cultural awareness has increased significantly, and I have developed a passion forlearning about other cultures and how they operate in the workplace. I'm extremely grateful forthis opportunity and for the amazing skills that I can take away from Australia - the professional
but also the life skills that I have developed as well.

23

Sarah Elsayed
EcuadorCollege of Arts &Science

Education 4
Nature Galápagos

Earth &
Environmental

Environmental
Projects InternCompany and Position Description: My internship involved the work of developing strategies
to design, implement, and evaluate grassroots projects through the Education4Nature
Galápagos, an NGO based in San Cristóbal, in Galápagos Islands. I specifically worked on thecurrent restoration project that my organization was working on in the Hacienda Tranquila forestthat focused on replanting numerous native species in the environment. My work included
creating a database for the current trees and coming with strategies to tag them and monitor
their growth in the forest. In addition, my work also included researching and sharing otherenvironmental education projects around the world to further spread community-based
restoration awareness.

Escalecia Species in Galápagos

Hacienda Tranquila

24

Sarah Elsayed
EcuadorSan Cristóbal

Hacienda Tranquila

Value Derived from the Experience: This experience has been so rewarding and inspiring.
The people I have met have aligned with the career path I would like to follow in my life andhave been super helpful and inspiring to me.
This internship has allowed me to explore what I want to do in my career and helped to reflame
my passion for environmental science. I learned more on the value of environmental restorationin smaller communities and the value of involving the community in the projects. It is so
important to reach out and integrate environmental education and learn more about the cultural
impact of restoring this space. I hope to use what I've learned in future endeavors and along mycareer path.

25

Brooke Erickson
Chile
College of Arts &Sciences

University of San
Sebastian

Health, Medicine,Society & Psych.

Research
AssistantCompany and Position Description: I worked for the Molecular Microbiology and Food
Research lab within the University of San Sebastian in Santiago, Chile. My supervisor was Dr.
Waldo Diaz and I also was able to learn about the research that each individual student was
conducting within the lab. At first, I was assigned several articles to get insight into how the lab
was functioning and learn more about the biological aspects. After a lot of brainstorming with mysupervisor regarding what I was interested in, what I felt comfortable doing, and what I thought
would benefit me and my career path, I was given two tasks. The first task was to work with oneof the students working on their international PhD that was investigating inflammation and diet. I
made two separate surveys that gathered health intake information and consumption of food anddrinks. These surveys are currently being used in this experiment for actual subjects. The othertask was to conduct research on questions to be used to determine the quality of breastmilk. I
then translated all of this research into another survey that would be used to quantify the qualityof breastmilk.

Inside of the Laboratory

My Locker

26

Brooke Erickson
Chile

General Cemetary

La Moneda

Value Derived from the Experience: Professionally, I was able to gain soft and hard skills that I
will be able to apply in my future career. I worked in a completely new environment and subject
that allowed me to gain skills in my research that are directly applicable to my major and studies
at Lehigh University. I was also able to solidify the career path that I wish to take part in andnarrow down my occupational interests. I practiced my language skills and cultural competency
by communicating with those from a different country through a language barrier. Personally, I
was very challenged to be in the present moment, immerse myself in a new country, gain global
perspectives, and explore and adventure to new places. I really learned the value of a global
experience and fell in love with traveling and being exposed to new things and people. I pushed
myself to take advantage of every opportunity in Chile and really try to do new things. I grewsocially, individually, professionally, and am extremely enthusiastic to continue experiencing new
countries and cultures. I found that this opportunity showed me how much I value international
opportunities and would love to incorporate this into my career and personal life somehow in the
future.

27

Steven Escobar-Mendez
Vietnam
College of Arts &Sciences
Political Science& Global Studies

SIT - VirtualInternship in
Development &GenderResearcher

Company and Position Description: Through SIT Study Abroad, I did research in Vietnam.
This virtual internship focused on the role local community-based and international
development organizations play in addressing issues related to development in Vietnam. I
focused my research on how Vietnam development was impacted by the Vietnam War in its
international relations, economics, and its society pushing beyond it. I researched on thehistory prior to the Vietnam War and how it changed drastically afterwards away from western
style government and towards a different form. This was made possible by working alongsidehistory professors of nearby universities and connecting with organizations focusing on postVietnam society.

Final Presentation of Research

Past US-Vietnam Relations

28

Steven Escobar-Mendez
VietnamDragon Legends in Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh City

Value Derived from the Experience: The program provided incredible insight into Vietnam
culture. It was interesting to learn about how Vietnam and US relations developed before theVietnam War, intertwining with one another before breaking relations during the Cold War. The
country offers a different perspective than what the western process teaches about a specificpath to development, and what was promoted in my own culture in Central America. Vietnam
shows a different form through government and culture. I enjoyed learning about the work being
done to provide education and better living conditions across the country while pushing beyond
the Vietnam War. This I learned through parts of the war still laid in plain sight or the change ofcity names, one which changed to the name of the founder of the current government. As I
continue my education in international law, this opportunity helped me learn of regions that I
might interact with during the studies and beyond.

29

Samuel Ginn
Republic of Serbia
College of Arts &Sciences
History &International
Relations

HelsinkiCommittee for
Human Rights
Research InternCompany and Position Description: During my international internship experience with theHelsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia I was asked to research and write a report on the
securitization of the Serbian ethnic and national identity and historiography in the years prior to
the Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s. As a native English speaker, I was also charged with
proofreading official English-language documents. A secondary task of mine was to attend art
showings and events which centered around memory activism and transitional justice. Theseshowings and events included a photo gallery consisting of images from Ron Haviv's work in
Croatian- and Serbian-run prison camps during the Bosnian War, a recollection of a trip to Novi
Sad which was bombed by NATO during the Kosovo War, and a digital art showing and candle
lighting ceremony to commemorate the start of the Srebrenica Massacre. In total, I produced one
research paper, four observational reports, and proofread two official documents during my time
as a research intern for the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia.

HCHRS OfficeInternship Mentor

30

Samuel Ginn
Republic of Serbia

St Sava Temple

Kalemegdan FortressValue Derived from the Experience: I developed in many areas during my internship in Serbia,
including personally, professionally, and culturally. I have learned more about myself and how I
respond to stress and new situations. Becoming more accustomed to international travel andinteracting with many different people in order to arrive to the desired location is just one of themany benefits of my international internship. Living with a family and experiencing daily life in a
new country and a different, more heavily populated area than I am used to, resulted in my gaining
better cultural competency. I now have a better understanding of how to interact with people who
hold different beliefs and opinions than I did before my internship. Lastly, my research, citation,
and writing skills were sharpened, helping me to progress not only in my academic career, butwith my professional skills as well. Being able to communicate effectively and meet deadlines, allwhile being limited by a language barrier increased my professional capabilities.

31

Alleyna Jean-Philippe
Ireland
College of Arts &SciencesRoyal Hospital
Donnybrook

Psychology

Activities
Coordinator

Company and Position Description: The Royal Hospital Donnybrook, a hospital focused onproviding a multidisciplinary approach to patient care, is where I have interned the past twomonths in Ireland. This hospital provides its residents with inpatient rehabilitation, residential andrespite care. The residents have different disabilities including chronic illness and neurologicaldisabilities due to stroke or just old age. The multidisciplinary team of doctors and nurses set
rehabilitation goals in order to track patient progress. My internship role was entitled activities
coordinator. Within this role, I have learned new skills that my supervisor and I divided into four
categories: campaign, policy, social work, and activities. Sticking with campaigns, Royal Hospital
Donnybrook is short of volunteers. I was tasked with helping get the word out by posting
advertisements on Volunteer Ireland. Next came policy, or creating a principle of action to be
adopted by the Royal Hospital Donnybrook. I was asked to create new sections incorporating
absent information. When it comes to social workand activities, I was instructed to bring patients/residents from their wards to their group activity
and return them afterwards. During, I was asked to help keep them entertained, engaged, andinterested in what they were doing.

Royal Hospital Donnybrook

Hospital Renovation Plans

32

Alleyna Jean-Philippe
Ireland

Cliffs of Moher

Giant's Causeway

Value Derived from the Experience: Personally, I am not the same person I was a couple
months ago. I am stronger mentally, and was able to prove to myself that I am capable of being
on my own. I am very family oriented, and this was the longest period of time I have been awayfrom my family. Being pushed out of my comfort zone has expanded my mindset. I have learned
the importance of day-to-day interactions. There is a big difference between saying hello to bepolite, and actually engaging in a conversation with someone because you care. I have had very
meaningful conversations, met some influential people and felt a part of a team. Being aroundpositive people has made me want to look at the glass half full during any situation. Professionally,
I have learned that the medical field is not solely medicine. There are many parts that make upthat well-oiled machine. For example, my supervisor did not only have me working with residents.
She exposed me to campaign/marketing and policy work, which are two aspects of the medical
world I had no experience in. Medicine is always evolving. With that being said being able to learn
and adapt in an international setting will be beneficial for my future career.

33

Georgia Kiriakou
Netherlands
College ofEngineering

Eindhoven
University

IDEAS

BiomechanicEngineer InternCompany and Position Description: Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) is a research
university specializing in engineering science and techology. My role was to optimize andautomate contractility of 3D in vitro cardiac micro-tissue (uTUG) to restore heart injury due tocardiovascular disease (CVD). Specifically, I would quantify and compare the contractile forces
and beating frequency of uTUG using an image analysis-based approach via MATLAB. The final
outcome was a completed script for a partnered PhD student to convert videos of a beatinguTUG into analytical data and plots to draw final conclusions of her research. This will hopefully
be used to further understand the fundamental mechanisms of the myocardial architecture of thehuman body to apply to future application for the restoration of an injured heart to reduce therisks tied with cardiovascular disease (CVD).

First day at TU/e

TU/e interns

34

Georgia Kiriakou
Netherlands

First Taste of Netherlands

Bike Ride in Eindhoven

Value Derived from the Experience: Within just a month interning as a Biomechanical Engineer
in the Netherlands, my professional development has expanded profoundly. From professional
attire and presentation to leadership positions and maintaining accountability within groups, there
are several competencies that I have strengthened and befriended along the way. Throughout
this past month, in and outside of the working environment, I believe my leadership skills havebeen the most impacted by this program. Being placed in a different country with three otherstudents, rooted from very different backgrounds, I have found my strength and love to lead.
Spending almost every day together with the other interns, conflicts have risen, but also havefallen just as fast. Working with different personalities has been the biggest learning experience I
have had to take on this trip. However, I have found it very rewarding to be a liaison in situations
and someone to lead us out of difficult times together. The Iacocca International Internship
Program (IIIP) and the Netherlands community have been essential in this journey.

35

Sabrina Lancaster
Italy
College of Arts &Sciences

HC&R Onlus
Foundation

Molecular Biology

Project Proposal
Coordinator

Company and Position Description: The HC&R Onlus Foundation is a non-profit
organization that works with the Rome American Hospital to promote research and training
activities in the fields of medical sciences aimed at giving special attention to disadvantaged
people and improving their pathways of care. That foundation pursues scientific research
objectives of particular public interest in the field of medicine, in the improvement of social
health and health-related services and interventions, in the prevention, diagnosis and treatmentof human medical conditions.
As an intern I was tasked with developing proposals and abstracts for potential projects thefoundation was interested in funding. Additionally, I had to find potential companies or clientsthat would be willing to fund our project and work with other companies to pilot and operate ourprograms and projects.

Rome American Hospital

Rome American Hospital

36

Sabrina Lancaster
Italy

Trevi Fountain

Colosseum

Value Derived from the Experience: The value of this experience is truly indescribable. I havegained so much global perspective and gained some priceless experiences working in a foreigncountry. Not only have I gained cultural competency and learned how to navigate in a work
environment where there is a strong language barrier, I also learned valuable workplace skills I
need for the advancement of my career. I have gained competency in writing professional
proposals, and I have gained confidence in presenting to potential clients trying to convince them
to offer funding to our foundation. I have learned to advocate for myself during a meeting where I
have little cultural knowledge and don’t speak the language. I have learned things about myself
one could only know when immersed in an unfamiliar environment for months. It was aninvaluable experience both personally and professionally.

37

Paola Lebrón
South Africa
College of Arts &Sciences
International
Relations, Global
Studies, French

Whole World
Women
Association
logoInternCompany and Position Description: Whole World Women Association (WWWA) is a
refugee-founded and refugee-led non-profit organization that works to provide services andsupport to refugee, immigrant, and asylum-seeking women in the Western Cape of CapeTown, South Africa. WWWA seeks to help the women it serves smoothly integrate into the
local communities, provide them with basic needs, and educate them on their human rights
and on a plethora of resources available to them. While interning at WWWA, I was responsible
for managing and reformatting all the organization's social media platforms (Facebook,
Instagram, and Twitter), creating various presentations for different occasions and projects,
creating advertisements and info-graphics for different campaigns and events, fundraising, anddoing editing and research for a working community leader manual the CEO is actively workingon.

Graphic I Designed

WWWA's CEO & I

38

Paola Lebrón
South Africa

Local Food

Cape of Good Hope

Value Derived from the Experience: Interning at WWWA with its CEO, Mary Tal, was amost life-changing experience. Ms. Tal was a mentor to me throughout my time with her andhelped me to develop as a global citizen who is able and understanding. I am now morecapable and comfortable in foreign environments, professional or not. As a professional, I
grew in my workplace communication and relationship- building skills. I also learned how to
be more well-spoken, especially in relation to issues of social justice and activism. My
responsibility was to manage the social media platforms and create content to help WWWA
grow and reach more people throughout the Western Cape and it was a big learning
experience. I learned a great deal about graphic design, fundraising, and community
outreach. There were difficulties in completing these tasks, however, with goodcommunication and proper handling, everything was able to be accomplished and the goal ofgrowing WWWA's social media platforms was achieved. Through this, I came to understandhow to interact with people from different cultural backgrounds and how social media andadvertising is approached differently in another country. Working with Mary, I grew not only as
a professional but as an individual who is certain that she wants to pursue a career ininternational human rights.

39

Avery Lederer
Spain
College ofBusiness

Javier Pacheco
Financial Advisor

Economics &Supply Chain

InternCompany and Position Description: Throughout the summer I worked with a professional
financial advisor named Javier Pacheco who hoped to create personal finance courses foryoung adults. This new venture of his was in the research and development phase so my role
was to research the consumer market and competitive landscape in the on-line education
space. I compiled useful information from consumer surveys, competitor analysis, and personal
finance course audits which helped to shape Javier's potential course offering. Additionally, we
looked at trade offs between on-line education platforms, business models, and course content.
I learned a lot about the ground level of a new business venture.

Javier Pacheco

Financial Planning

40

Avery Lederer
Spain

The Sagrada Familia

Seeing the Sites

Value Derived from the Experience: Living and working in a foreign country is incredibly
valuable for someone in college. When you're abroad you're faced with entirely new challenges,
people, and lifestyles. It allows you to cross-examine yourself and your beliefs in a newenvironment. While learning about a new culture you're able to better reflect on your own
culture and gain fresh perspectives. I'm bringing back a newfound sense of myself and mycapabilities. I'm more confident about my ability to work through difficult or ambiguoussituations. Most importantly, I've developed an intercultural competence and curiosity that will
benefit me throughout my life to continue to travel and learn.

41

Billy Maroun
Barcelona, Spain
College of Business& Economics

CatalogPlayer

MarketingMarketing InternCompany and Position Description: My internship this summer was being the marketing intern
for CatalogPlayer in Barcelona, Spain. CatalogPlayer is a company that sells sales enablement
systems. As a marketing intern my main task was to help the company translate the language on
their website from Spanish to English. Along with translating their website, I had to localize thelanguage to the US market. I also was given the task to help with a lead generation project thatthe company is working on.

My desk at the office.

My boss and I at work.

42

Billy Maroun
Barcelona, Spain

Paella Dinner in Barcelona.

Catalan Human Tower.

Value Derived from the Experience: This experience living in Barcelona was extremely
beneficial for me personally and professionally. I have never had the opportunity to travel outsideof the country so having my first experience be living in Spain for a summer was very beneficial.
Being able to experience Spanish culture and become more culturally aware was one of the bestthings I took away from this experience. Along with my personal growth, having my first realinternship in Spain allowed me to become a better professional. Getting work experience unlike I
ever had was something beneficial as I got to learn through the day to day job. Overall, thisexperience helped me grow so much and give myself a new perspective on many different things
coming back home to Bethlehem.

43

Austin McCullough
Argentina
College ofEngineering

PraxisIBE & Civil
Engineering

Marketing
Associate

Company and Position Description: Praxis is a company develops and distributes and EMR
software to various medical firms. The system drastically boosts the efficiency for doctors sothat they can focus more of their time on their patients. The system is template-free and driven
by Al to help doctors with charting, billing, and even scheduling. This summer, I worked with the
Praxis marketing team and a group of interns to redesign and rewrite the Praxis website. The
website was obsolete and clearly needed work to be optimized for search engines. I worked
closely with the team of interns and my supervisor, Chris Powell, in order to produce a cleaner
and more expansive website.

EMR Software

Redesign Website

44

Austin McCullough
Argentina

Spanish Dancing

Skateboarding is Popular

Value Derived from the Experience: I have gained so much from this experience with the
Iacocca International Internship Program. Even though I did my internship virtually, I had tostructure each day so that I could effectively work with my supervisor and team of interns. I
found a sense of leadership, which I am not all that used to. The internship required me to step
up and motivate the rest of the team. Having that experience will definitely be valuable later, as I
start my career. One of the biggest takeaways I got from this internship is about how valuablecommunication is. Keeping in touch with my team and supervisor helped us to not only be on thesame page, but really motivated us to continue working efficiently and produce the best work
possible. I would have loved to travel this summer, but still the international work experience I
got out of it and being able to expand my network across the globe will be extremely beneficial in
the future.

45

Roman Mitchell
Spain
College ofEngineering

Fitness KPI

Industrial
Systems

Marketing InternCompany and Position Description: Fitness KPI is a gym management software that helps
gyms keep track of information effortlessly, communicate with its team members, track
earnings, and also help retain and gain more gym members. They have been helpful for gyms
in and around Spain. Now they want to expand to the United States. The software industry isvery competitive in the USA so I researched to get more data. I specifically looked for fitness
experts and ways to get involved in NY, PA, FL, TX, and CA.

Gym Software

Marketing via Website

46

Roman Mitchell
Spain

Spanish DishStreet in Barcelona

Value Derived from the Experience: I had a few cultural experiences that helped me learn
more about Spain and develop professionally. When I first started working I was the only intern
and my boss gave me tasks that were vague and allowed me to have a lot of freedom in how I
researched and what I researched. I enjoyed this type of trust between worker and manager. It
helped me learn to pace myself and also that I had the skills to do the job, I just needed to focus
and trust I could complete the task. I have learned what I need to keep myself accountable for mytasks. I also like the idea of weekly meetings on a task and then time to work alone with nosupervision as well. Working with someone from a different culture also allows me to learn more
about the world and have interesting things to talk about other than our job.

47

Rehan Naeem
Italy
College ofBusiness &Economics
MarketingFrancesco Maglia
MilanoFashion InternCompany and Position Description: I worked for Francesco Maglia Milano, a luxury umbrella
designer and producer in Milan, Italy. Francesco Maglia Milano was founded in 1854 producing
umbrellas by hand in their workshop in Milan ever since. They sell e-commerce and in theworkshop to customers but also do B2B collaborating with the biggest names in fashion including
LVMH Group and Kering Group.
The work I performed during the internship was mainly marketing and operations related tasks,
including customer correspondence through email and recommending fabrics/designs to clients. I
even gave in-person tours to clients who visited our workshop and designed a newsletter tobetter represent our sustainable initiatives. The internship was extremely hands-on as I worked
side by side with the owner of the company and discussed marketing/brand strategies. By theend of the internship I learned how to make an umbrella and how to sell an umbrella, two
extremely useful skills for a future business owner and/or fashion designer.

Umbrella Sticks in Special Oven

Beautiful Umbrella Selection48

Rehan Naeem
Italy

Cinque Terre

Colosseum at 6AM

Value Derived from the Experience: My experience in Italy helped me develop both personallyand professionally. Personally, I developed a new sense of confidence in my ability to be
independent and survive in a new country. I learned conversational Italian, a new transportation
system, and adapted to a new lifestyle all in less than two months. I came in not knowing a wordof Italian and I left ordering both my breakfast and my taxi to the train in Italian. Professionally I
was able to work hand-in-hand with one of the best umbrella makers in the world to learn how tosell umbrellas. I am definitely more confident in my skills under pressure, selling, curating, andmarketing a product. I can proudly recount a moment when I gave my first workshop tour and thecustomer was so impressed that they bought six umbrellas instead of one they originally camefor. I really feel as this experience abroad is something I will remember for the rest of my life andit has helped me grow in ways I would have never expected.

49

Ojashwi Rani Nakarmi
Hong Kong
College ofEngineering

Hutchison Ports

ChemicalEngineering

R&D InternCompany and Position Description: The company I worked for is a port company. Port
companies are transport companies that ship goods through cargos. Hutchison Ports is one of
the leading port companies in Hong Kong as well as in Asia.
I was in the Research and Development department, where I analyzed the data of the company
throughputs and compared it with its competitor companies and presented it to the team. I also
went to conferences and made reports on sustainable transport options and plans and how it
can be useful for the company.

Shipyard

Carrier50

Ojashwi Rani Nakarmi
Hong Kong

Traditional Dress

MarketValue Derived from the Experience: I really enjoyed working for my department at Hutchison
Ports. My supervisor and the team were really nice. I did most of the work by myself as theanalysis did not require much team work but I still had a lot of communication with my supervisor
through coffee chats, which I really liked. We also did a few meet ups with the whole team where
we shared about our culture and had general conversations, which made me understand theirculture more. Overall, it was a great experience.

51

Alondra Perez
PanamaCollege of Arts &Sciences

ANYAR

Environmental
Studies

Environmental InternCompany and Position Description: ANYAR is a non-governmental organization who
focuses on uplifting the young people of Guna Yala, an indigenous territory located in the
Caribbean of Central Panama. The main objective is to advocate for their rights and spreadawareness of varying environmental issues. ANYAR recognizes the significance of education
as one can see in their agenda of workshops and activities. During my time with ANYAR, I wasable to not only design the workshop curriculum but be part of them. I traveled with ANYAR fora little over a week, hosting the workshops that address the many issues ANYAR strives togain support for.
In addition, I was able to assist ANYAR with data collection analyzing attendance andindigenous member's overall responses to better future workshops.

Clean Up of Digre Island Beach

Discussing Future Curriculum52

Alondra Perez
PanamaCooking Coconut RiceHomes in Taboga Island

Value Derived from the Experience: The experience allowed me to learn a lot about myself in
unfamiliar situations and the rich history of Panama. I began my experience with little to noknowledge about Panama. I only recognized it since my family is from Central America. I
concluded the trip having an emotional connection to Panama because all of the new things I
was exposed to during my time there. For instance, I was able to gain knowledge on indigenous
rights from a global perspective. My work with the Guna people opened my eyes to thestruggles experienced and how climate change is exacerbating them.
In addition, I reflected a lot on my biases and perspectives that contribute to the views I have on
the world around me. It is so crucial to be able to take a step back and process what is being
seen.

53

Anna Piecuch
JordanCollege of Arts
& Sciences

Institute for Family
Health

Psychology &Journalism

InternCompany and Position Description: I was an intern this summer within the SIT JordanCounseling and Humanitarian Action program, where my colleagues and I interviewed at andwere placed in NGOs that matched our majors, career paths, and personal interests. At theInstitute for Family Health Psychosocial Unit in Amman, Jordan, I shadowed a professional
mental health counselor in confidential, individualized counseling sessions with people ofvulnerable refugee populations, with granted consent. The focus of my role in the broader scopeof IFH was to observe, discuss and understand how mental health services improve adults'
resilience, wellbeing, and relationships with family through cognitive-behavioral therapy. I
helped my advisor by labeling case folders and creating facility infographics and brochures. In
the counseling sessions, I learned about mental health problems and stressors faced by women
refugees fleeing from neighboring areas such as South Sudan, Yemen, and Syria. Some
women are victims of rape or torture and require most sensitive care, and many refugees in theclinic experience anxiety, depression, or PTSD.

Great TeamGreat Colleague

54

Anna Piecuch
JordanAncient Ruins

Ceramics and Pottery

Value Derived from the Experience: My experience in the SIT Jordan Summer 2022
Counseling and Humanitarian Action internship has helped me greatly to develop personallyand professionally.
Personally, I have grown so much from my experience abroad. I learned how to independently
navigate a foreign country, I asserted my interests and needs at an internship, made newlifelong friends from across the United States as well as in Jordan, and worked through alanguage barrier. Professionally, I have grown through experience in a psychosocial unit thatserves mental health needs in emergency settings for refugees. I learned so much from SIT
contextual studies about the Syrian crisis, how Jordan accommodates for the influx of refugees
seeking shelter in their country that already sees scarce resources, and I learned about barriers
to mental health treatment include stigma and shame surrounding topics of gender-based
violence. I also learned the value of strategies used in cognitive-behavioral therapy such as
cognitive reframing techniques and narrative exposure therapy. I am super grateful to have had
this opportunity of a lifetime in Jordan through the Iacocca International Internship Program tofurther explore my future career interests as well as a new country.

55Esteban Procel
Netherlands
College ofEngineering andApplied Science
IDEAs

Eindhoven
University ofTechnology
Research InternCompany and Position Description: This summer I had the opportunity to work at theEindhoven University of Technology as a research intern. The research that I was assigned to
was to study electro taxis and how to manipulate stem cells. In my time there, I ran simulationof electric fields using the software CST studios. With the program, I was able to create shapes
using these electric fields and micro electro arrays. We hoped with these fields to manipulate
the cells through the concept of electro taxis. At the end of my internship, I had to deliver a 15minute presentation to the students in the department of biology.

The Campus

Group Photo

56

Esteban Procel
Netherlands

Bitterballen

Raw Herring

Value Derived from the Experience: I was station in the Netherlands in a city known as
Eindhoven for two months. I have not had any previous abroad experience so when I arrived it
was a complete shock. In a new country with new people, I learned to try new things and not be
afraid of them. For example, trying raw herring which was a very interesting tasting dish. Biking
around the Netherlands was one of the most memorable things to do. The people were nice
and were willing to help out when our group got lost in a new city. In the workspace, everyone
was willing to help me learn how to use the software and get necessary hardware for myresearch. I learned to ask for help as somethings are hard to continue alone. Overall, theinternship was an experience that I have never had before.

57

Gianna Ricciardi
Ireland
College ofEngineering

Senoptica
Technologies LTD

ChemicalEngineering

Research InternCompany and Position Description: Senoptica Technologies LTD is a start-up company that
focuses on reducing global food waste by noninvasive monitoring Modified Atmosphere
Packaging (MAP). Their goal is to become a global leader in MAP testing as well as to reducefood waste by 50% by 2030. The motivation for improving MAP is due to the millions of tons ofwaste that is resulted each year due to the food industry's current practices. In order to improvethese conditions and reduce food waste, Senoptica has created an optical sensor technologythat is printed onto the films of packages. The sensor will have a food-safe ink that will read
specific gas levels. Their technology will ultimately save the whole food value chain and reducefood waste. As a research intern, I shadowed in the lab, helped with lab organization, cataloged
chemicals, and practiced different techniques (UV, PVS, etc). I also helped create the ink forthe sensors and measured the gas levels to determine whether they were accepted for the
packaging. Another task I had was to research, collect, and present findings of recent literature
on topics including intelligent and MAP packaging, meat discoloration, and luminescencequenching based sensors. This helped me learn more about the topics and better understandSenoptica's mission.

S.T. is Located in Trinity College

My Work Space58

Gianna Ricciardi
IrelandHa'penny Bridge

Cliffs of Moher

Value Derived from the Experience: This experience has helped me grow professionally andpersonally. During my internship, I was able to have a one-on-one mentorship where mysupervisor and I had daily meetings to discuss my plans and goals for the rest of the day. Fromthese meetings, I was able to improve my time management skills and come prepared
everyday with objectives and deadlines. I was also able to quickly learn to not be afraid to ask
for help whenever I was stuck on a task. This allowed me to strengthen my communication andorganizational skills. Towards the end of my internship, I could see a clear improvement in mywork as well as in my personal and professional confidence. Overall, the most notabletakeaway from my experience is the connections I was able to build with the IIIP Staff, mysupervisor and co-workers, and other students in the IIIP and IES Abroad Dublin Programs.
Additionally, I was able to immerse myself in the Irish culture.

59

Hajer Sabil
Italy
College of Arts &Sciences

Net 4 Market

Political Science

Marketing &Graphic Design

Company and Position Description: Net4Market is a software company that provides
an e procurement platform for businesses in Italy to simplify the supply chain process. Asa marketing and graphic design intern, I was responsible for creating social media
graphics, designing website mockups, and building a new website for the company.

Iacocca Intern Colleague

Net4Market Team60

Hajer Sabil
Italy

Colosseum

St. Peter's Basilica

Value Derived from the Experience: My experience at Net4Market was invaluable in terms ofcultural immersion and work experience. I learned many practical skills in the marketing andgraphic design field as well as about Italian culture. Though this was an amazing opportunity, I
also dealt with micro-aggressions that are common in the workforce. These micro-aggressions
made it difficult to want to go to work at times. I understand that these are things I might
potentially have to deal with in the professional world so I know now to look for companies thatprioritize diversity equity and inclusion.

61

Stephen Salamone
The Netherlands
College ofEngineering
ChemicalEngineering

Eindhoven
University ofTechnology
Research
AssistantCompany and Position Description: For my Iacocca Internship, I worked at The Eindhoven
University of Technology in The Netherlands. My work as a Research Assistant involved
helping graduate students with their research projects at the university. The project I worked on
involved eliminating distortion in cell diagrams, and finding a system to convert 2D images to
3D images. At the end of the internship, I delivered a final presentation to the faculty andstudents in the Bioengineering department detailing the code I had created and how it
eliminates cell diagram distortion.

Research Group

Final Presentation

62

Stephen Salamone
The Netherlands

Amsterdam Canals

Authentic Dutch Bitterballen

Value Derived from the Experience: Living and working in The Netherlands gave me an
appreciation for Dutch culture and unique insight into the work-life balance in the country. I foundthat working with Dutch students allowed me to learn much about their education system andtheir approach to solving complex issues. During my free time, I felt very immersed in the city of
Eindhoven and any other place I visited. The Iacocca Internship offers an immense amount of
freedom, where you are able to plan your own excursions and make your own schedule. I foundthis factor to be the most rewarding part of the program when comparing it to other Lehigh Study
Abroad options. Personally, I learned much about how The Netherlands functions and how it
compares to the United States. I found that many things about their country were different, butthat we also had a lot in common. I learned much about myself through being placed in such a
new place with very little experience to draw on, and I'm confident I have grown as a result of thisgreat opportunity.

64

Brianna Sauder
Australia
College ofEngineering

TinkerTank

ChemicalEngineering

Interim Operations
ManagerCompany and Position Description: TinkerTank is an organization that provides STEM
based education in the form of after school programs and holiday camps for students ages 5+. They allow students to try their hand at coding, robotics, animation, and 3D design whileproviding them the support they need. This summer I worked primarily in an administrativerole at the company. I reviewed bookings, answered phone calls and emails from customers,
assisted with employee onboarding, and worked with the students during workshops.
Throughout my internship, I got involved in some marketing and advertising too. I conducted
outreach to the local schools for partnerships with them to have their students come to ourstudio or for us to do on site programs in their school.

Social Media Post I Designed

BattlebotsTournament

65

Brianna Sauder
Australia

Yellow Crested Cockatoo

Lots of To-Go Sushi Shops

Value Derived from the Experience: From this experience, I have become more confident
professionally. I had much more responsibility than I initially expected in this internship but it
helped me learn to trust myself and the decisions I made. I became more comfortable withlearning on the job and asking the right questions to gain insight from those who had been at thecompany longer than me. Personally, I learned how to engage people in their culture and inquire
about cultural differences. Australia’s culture was similar a lot of ways to American culture, but it
was interesting to notice the differences and hear about their view of the United States.

66

Madeleine Schott
Kenya
College of Health
Population
HealthKisumu County
Referral Hospital
Maternal and Child
Health InternCompany and Position Description: During my Iacocca International Internship, I was under
the guidance of the School for International Travel within their program in Kisumu, Kenya.
Through the program, I was assigned an internship at the Kisumu County Referral Hospital(KCRH). KCRH is located in the center of Kisumu, Kenya, the third largest city in the country.
At KCRH, I was assigned an attachment to the Maternal and Child Health Unit (MCH). During
my time, I researched the prevalence of Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) in infants who visitedthe unit during my time assigned. In addition to my work at KCRH, the School for International
Travel expected all students to participate in Swahili lessons everyday for two hours, Monday
through Friday. I visited the hospital everyday of the week, observing the day to day work of the
MCH unit. My day consisted of measuring the height and weight of infants, marking down their
growth, and collecting data pertaining to the number of children who were classified asunderweight or malnourished. During my time, I also administered 15 surveys to mothers
visiting the unit about their level of health understanding and knowledge towards their child's
health. These surveys and collection of data were compiled and analyzed in my final report thatwas submitted at the end of my internship.

First Day of Work at KCRH

Meeting with Advisor

66

Madeleine Schott
Kenya

Maasai Market

Wildlife from Maasai Mara

Value Derived from the Experience: The values derived from my work at KCRH are
immeasurable. When I first walked through the hospital campus, I felt overwhelmed as it wascompletely unlike anything I had seen before. Unfortunately, the hospital is underfunded andrequires the staff to be extremely resourceful in the care provided to patients. Within the
Maternal and Child Health Unit, there was not running water and a majority of the unit was held
outside, under a roof. A deep gratitude has been instilled in me as I acknowledged that there isgreat privilege in my life. Professionally, I developed interpersonal skills among the hospital
staff and fellow students in my program. I worked closely with the Director of Nursing, Millicent
Oloo, who helped guide my research and advised me during my time in Kisumu. As I was the
only international student assigned to the Maternal and Child Health Unit, I gained a sense ofconfidence and independence as I became comfortable in an unknown environment. A greattakeaway is that we tend to have more in common with people than we may believe. I gainedsome true friendships among the nursing staff within the MCH unit. Most of all, a passion formaternal and child health was ignited in me. I was lucky enough to even witness the birth of twochildren, this will be a memory that stays with me forever.

67

Kunj Shah
Berlin, Germany

College ofEngineering
Computer
Science

AmplifyreContent Creator +Researcher

Company and Position Description: I worked for a company called Amplifyre. I conducted
research by collecting and analyzing data for writing articles pertaining to technical concepts[ie: Outsourcing, UI/UX, Mobile Development, Cloud Migration, MVP Building, Web Dev, QA &Testing, Custom Software Dev, etc]. I researched, constructed, and designed "stories" for
Linkedin posts regarding technological stories via Figma [ie: Clean Technology, Algorithms
and Algorithm Bias, Facial Recognition in Crime Prevention, How software is involved in F1
racing, etc]. I also redesigned Amplifyre's data table UI to display technical data via Figma.

Cloud Migration

Computer Engineering

68Kunj Shah
Berlin, Germany

Berlin Smartments Sunset

Britzer Garden

Value Derived from the Experience: During this internship I got to learn a lot about what itmeans to work remotely and internationally. I was able to expand upon my presentation skills aswell as how to handle feedback in a better way rather than see it as a con. Personally, I wasable to immerse myself in a beautiful culture while being able to work remotely and see a lot ofdifferences while appreciating them.

69

Eirinn Sikes
Germany
College ofEngineering

HomeMeal

ChemicalEngineering

PartnerManagement InternCompany and Position Description: HomeMeal is a startup software company based in
Berlin, Germany that was founded during the pandemic. It is a platform that allows aspiring
chefs to cook and sell their meals from their homes. While developing the software is
extremely important, so is marketing and working with the chefs to make their businesssuccessful, which is the role that I did. I worked on a multitude of different projects, including
planning a pop-up event, sending out three weekly newsletters, doing performance calls withthe chefs, and transferring information to a CRM system. My position was partner
management intern, but I had the opportunity to perform tasks in other areas of the company
as well.

The HomeMeal Team

Pop-up Event Flier I Designed

70

Eirinn Sikes
Germany

The Olympic Stadium

Alte National Galerie

Value Derived from the Experience: Going in to my internship, I was uncertain of what toexpect. I faced more challenges than I thought I would, both with my internship and with being
immersed in a brand new culture. These challenges helped me to grow and learn more about
myself. While my internship was not related to my major, I was able to gain valuable experienceand knowledge in different fields, such as marketing, databases, and product development. The
most important thing that I took away from my experience was how I work in a professionalsetting. It will allow me to find a job and career that I will fit in and will succeed in, while helping
the company to grow as well. I learned that I work differently in a professional setting than I do inan academic setting, which is quite fascinating.
Overall, my experience is one that I will never forget and I have a lot of takeaways that I will apply
for the rest of my life.

71

Ghay Soe
South Africa
College of Arts &Sciences

Beth Uriel

International
RelationsInternCompany and Position Description: For my Iacocca Internship, I actively participated insupporting and doing the work that needed to be done at Beth Uriel. Beth Uriel is not an
organization, but a house that supports disadvantaged young men who want to make achange in their lives for the better. By the end of the internship, I now have a better sense of
how the place is structured and overseen. The focus is on providing the young men, as the wholehouse or as individuals, with whatever they need. Beth Uriel has four main provisions; basic
needs, education, practical skills for job readiness, and self-discovery through disclosure. I camein with a humble attitude to give an extra hand in supporting how Beth Uriel runs.

Daily Cup of Free Coffee

Outside of Cafe72

Ghay Soe
South Africa

Host Family

What a View

Value Derived from the Experience: I just want to say how appreciative I am for theopportunity to learn more about Beth Uriel and what they stand for. Beth Uriel has served justice
to many young men by providing them with quality living, giving them a second chance in life,and helping them learn how to survive and succeed in the world. They are based in Cape Town,
South Africa, so there is a lot you can learn, which can help you see the current situation that thecommunity is in. I have discovered that there is always something you can do if you are willing.
It is important to have a humble attitude. The lesson I have learned is that, attitudes are asimportant to success as skills and knowledge. My work might not have been anything important,but I was able to contribute to something that mattered at my internship site. I take this lesson aspart of my personal growth and development.

73

Neel Surya
Hong Kong
Intercollegiate
ProgramHutchison Ports

IDEAS

Simulation Studies
InternCompany and Position Description: Over the summer I had the opportunity to intern at
Hutchison Ports. Hutchison Ports is the world's leading port network with over 30,000
employees and owning ports and terminals in over 26 countries. I specifically worked as
Simulation Studies Intern in the operations group. I was tasked with researching ways of how to
optimize the efficiency and minimize the cost of the thousands of trucks that enter the terminals
per day. I achieved this by creating a simulation estimating the optimal number of gates andoptimal number of congestion parking spots needed for certain terminals. Furthermore, I was
tasked with doing graphical analysis on the simulation results by altering things such as truck
arrival rate, and gate processing times.
I specifically utilized the ARENA simulation software to create my simulation. While this software
was very new for me, I learned a lot about discrete event modeling and also how alarge terminal operates.

Final ARENA Simulation CreatedGraphical Analysis

74

Neel Surya
Hong Kong

Learning the Language!

HK Sweet and Sour Pork

Value Derived from the Experience: This internship has helped me immensely bothprofessionally and personally. I previously had no experience in terminal operations and had
never used the ARENA simulation software which was required. Now, however, I can explain the
intricacies associated with terminal/port operations and am fluent in the ARENA software. Having
this added knowledge (especially learning the software will only serve to benefit me in my future
career. On a personal note, it was invaluable experience to interact and work with people from adifferent culture than my own. I feel as though from this my speaking and networking skills
improved vastly. All in all, I truly feel that my worldview was expanded this summer.
Socially, I came to really appreciate the culture of Hong Kong throughout the summer. The food,music, language, and more are all things I am going to continue to explore. While my internshipwas done in a virtual format, I really feel that I had a global experience. If the situation improves, I
look forward to visiting Hutchison Ports in person in Hong Kong and meeting my supervisors face
to face.

75

Benjamin Szmodis
Ireland
College of Business& Economics

Applegreen

FinanceFinance InternCompany and Position Description: Applegreen is a company who owns over 1,000 gas
stations and service areas (rest stops in Ireland, the UK, and the US. I worked at their
headquarters as a finance intern. I was placed in the tax department within the finance divisionspent my time on many different things. For one, I classified the VAT rate for new items being
added across all stores. I also spent time drafting a company policy regarding tax fraud as it
relates to EU regulations. The majority of my time at Applegreen was spent pulling andclassifying information for their yearly tax returns. The intricacies surrounding what could be a
tax write-off, what kind of write-off it could be, and when Applegreen could take a deduction
gave me a new understanding of the world of tax.

My Desk

Applegreen HQ76

Benjamin Szmodis
IrelandKylemore Abbey

Western Ireland

Value Derived from the Experience: This experience had a massive impact on my future.
Professionally speaking, I have a new respect for what it means to work in tax. While theexperience was great, I think I know that I do not want to work in this specific field in the future.
The experience also gave me insight into the different kinds of workplace cultures. In the US, theculture suggests that employees "go go go" and finish everything ASAP. In Ireland, theworkplace is much more relaxed and productivity is about the same. I would like to work in aworkplace similar to that of Applegreen.
Culturally speaking, I cannot put into words how much this changed me. I had never left thecountry prior to this internship and had not truly understood the differences around the world.
Ireland isn't that different from the US- they speak the same language, have similar
entertainment, and even have many of the same pasttimes. However, the small things that makecountries, or places, different really stood out to me. Small things like the way people talk to eachother, something that seems universal, can be completely different when you're in a different
country. I have come to truly appreciate the differences present in other countries.

77Sydney Waterman
The Netherlands
College ofEngineering
Bioengineering

Eindhoven
University ofTechnology
Biomedical
Engineering
Research InternCompany and Position Description: This summer, I worked on a research project with a
PhD student at the Eindhoven University of Technology, a research institution that aims toadvance knowledge in science and technology. The project I worked on focused onembryonic brain development. The concentrations and flow of growth factors determine thedevelopment and order of the brain. My task was to simulate concentration gradients of threedifferent growth factors flowing through a microfluidic chip. I used ComSoL to upload the 3D
microfluidic chip design, researched the properties of the three growth factors, set theparameters, and simulated the transport of diluted species. I analyzed the color-coded
concentration maps and time graphs to understand how the growth factors diffused. At theend of the summer, I presented my findings in a PowerPoint to 20+ members of the researchgroup and my supervisor.

Concentration Map

Microfluidic Chip78

Sydney Waterman
The Netherlands

Herring with Onion

Bikes are Everywhere

Value Derived from the Experience: At first, this internship was intended to be virtual. I am
extremely grateful that we were given the opportunity to go in-person! I learned a lot about
traveling in Europe and other cultural differences between Europeans and Americans. I stayedwith three other Iacocca interns, and we were sort of a "family". We got to bike to work, eat herringand bitterballen, and talk to Dutch people every day. Since everyone speaks English there, wewere able to make friends very quickly. My favorite part was being able to travel across Europe.
Although we faced some technological and communication issues, the experience overall helped
me learn about teamwork and friendship. I gained life-long friends, international connections, andmany adventurous stories.

79Norman Zvenyika
BermudaCollege of Arts &College ofEngineering
CSE & BIOE

BIOS
Research
InternCompany and Position Description: Bermuda Institute Of Ocean Sciences (BIOS) is anindependent, US-based nonprofit organization dedicated to scientific research and education.
Its mission is to seek and share knowledge of the oceans through state-of-the-art multidisciplinary scientific research, world-class field expeditions, and comprehensive educational
experiences.
At BIOS, I completed a research internship in the Barsi Lab. The Barsi Lab uses Molecular
Biology techniques to improve our comprehension of the biological processes that convert
genetic information into anatomical features. Current research in the lab uses sea urchins andthird-generation sequencing to investigate how non-coding DNA regulates the expression ofdevelopmental genes.
In the Barsi Lab, I worked on a project titled "Bioinformatics Analysis of Differential Gene
Expression In Developing Deuterostomes." The main goal of my project was to identify thesignificantly expressed genes during the gastrula phase of the sea urchin lava development, 36
hours post fertilization.

Automated Genomic Sequencer

Weekly Lab Meeting80Norman Zvenyika
BermudaBermuda Fireworms

Bermuda Day Parade

Value Derived from the Experience: Interning abroad is a gift. Along with incredible
experiences and stories, this gift gave me a new perspective on the world and a deeper
appreciation for various people and cultures.
Professionally, my internship exposed me to novel scientific concepts and business etiquette.
By fusing these concepts and experiences with what I already knew, I developed into a wellrounded student, capable of coming up with innovative solutions and always prepared to workin a multicultural workplace.
Personally, it was an exciting opportunity for me to work with unfamiliar people, and living in a
new culture made me much more conscious of my identity and origins. I studied the customs
and practices of the local community and contrasted them with mine. This helped me torecognize my core strengths and areas of improvement. As my self-awareness grew, so did
my intuition, which will undoubtedly be helpful when I make big decisions on my own.

81lacocca International Internship ProgramThank you to the donors who make this program possible!

Air Products Foundation

Trisha S. '11G and James
J. Alexy '16P

Evita and Jefferson F.
Allen '67 '97P

Anonymous

Susan K. Archer '82

Kevin E. Augustyn '17

Jessica M. Baier '16

Jessica M. DeSantis-Berg'03 and Jonathan J. Berg
'03

Beverly and Harold P.
Bitler '64

BD (Becton Dickinson)

Elizabeth and Joseph J.
Bailey '80 '14PPeter S. Bailey '92

Barbara and David M.*
Baldwin '51

Christina E. Bauer '15

Lauren E. Bloch '10

Kim and Robert W.
Bohny '84

Gloria H. and Michael G.
Bolton '65 '67G '94P

Elizabeth T. Brinkman '88

Yutong Chang '17G

Kieren E. Connor '16

Joan and Curts Cooke '58'82P '15GP

Doreen M. and Bryan A.
Costantino '14P '16P

Gretchen F. Cusick

Lynne M. '87 and Sean
Davis '23P

Amanda L. and John R.
Day '98

Patricia and Stewart Early

Jennifer Satz Enslin '18P
and Jeffrey D. Enslin '88'18P

Yiyi N. and John C. Evans'66

Nadine S. Elsayed '18

Marianna R. Deal '17PCharlene Y. Fergus '99

Terri R. and Charles J.
Delaney '81
Nikola and Todd M.
Freeman '82 '15P

Oscar J. Gomez '18

Katherine J. Howlin '16

Timothy G. Chelius '16P

Wayne D. Freese '59

GE Foundation

Linda L. and Peter M.
GilbertBette G. and Stephen F.
Goldmann '66

Christine and Steven H.
Goldthwaite '87

Alexis L. Haggert '18

Melanie H. Hanft '20

Julia W. '87 '21P and
Raymond G. Held '85'21P

Kaitlyn M. Hennessy '19

June W.* and Leon C.
Holt '48 '85P through theHolt Family Foundation

The Iacocca Foundation

Ingersoll-Rand Company

Intel Foundation

Elaine B. Ivy '14

Kelsey LaBosco '16

Matthew M. Lambert '18

Allison L. Land '88 '19P

Farren Leung '18

Emily M. Linderman

Victor Lopez-Balboa'69H
Brodi D. Jackson
Borchardt '98 and
Gregory C. Borchardt

Christopher W. Kohler'08Mariah X. Kozub '19

Harry B. Levine '56 '91P

Hilary J. Lewis '11

I. Henry Lewis '63

Alice E. and Howard T.
Lieberman

Rachael M. Martel '16

Haley G. Maruschak '15

Claudia De Dougherty
and Eugene T. Dougherty'87 '12P '14P

'66 '96P

Lee A. Iacocca* '45 '17GP

Linda P. Huber '80

Maria L. '87 and John R.
Chrin '85 '86 '10P

William A. Draper Jr. '65

Judy and Donald M.
Gruhn '49

Jane L. Johnston andVictoria R. McCulley '19

Medidata Foundation

Maida '85 '17P '19P
Merrill Lynch & Co.
Foundation, Inc.

David A. Morrison '18

Amy L. Moyer '12

Ann C. '91G and Vincent
G. Munley '74 '02P '04P
'05P

Barbara and Ronald
Muse '06P

Sarah J. Muse '06

Noah O. Ongoro '14

Tanairy Ortiz '19

Kristin C. Perry '93

Donald R. Phillips '84

Bernardo J. Pontes '03

Seneca S. Rasey '17

RBS Greenwich CapitalFoundation

Kathryn Y. and Alan G.
Rieper '62

Ilyana Sangadzhyieva

Alex P. Tamm '12

Patricia M. and Lawrence
J. Tamm '12P

Ronni and Arthur C.
Tauck, Jr. '53 '79P

The Freeman Foundation

Laurence J. Walsh '92

Ryan L. White '14

Arielle K. Willett '15

Huan Xie '17

Sharon O. and James R.

Casey L. Snyder '18

Metem Corporation

Hannah and James D.
Miller '64 '67G '87P '90P

Minh B. Nguyen '18

Rene Obregon '97P

Bonnie L. and Frank T.

PwC

Pratt '65 '66G '03P

(PricewaterhouseCoopers)

Robin and Lawrence M.

Megan K. and Charles E.
Stevens

Statsky '14P
Cheryl A. and Paul D.
Thomas '78

Christine and Vincent R.
Volpe, Jr. '80 '81

Angela K. Young '17

Deborah E. Zajac '97

Evan R. Vomund '18

Carol Strange, Program Director: csh205@lehigh.edu
Michelle Spada, Assistant Director mcs619@lehigh.edu
Debra Rubart, Coordinator dara@lehigh.edu
http://global.lehigh.edu/internships

OFFICE OF
INTERNATIONALAFFAIRS