Ignite Institute Social Impact Fellow Spotlight
By: Ignite Institute At Saint Peter S University
Tags: University, New Jersey, Social Impact, Internships, Entrepreneurship

Each week we will be highlighting one of our Ignite Institute Social Impact Fellows. Made possible by a grant from The Provident Bank Foundation, twenty Saint Peter’s University students have been placed in semester long internships with local non-profit organizations and businesses that are having an important social impact in our community. Fellows are also given the opportunity to take part in professional development and training workshops throughout the year.

Daniela Noguera, Saint Peter’s University ’21, Chemistry major and Medicinal Chemistry minor

Daniela recently completed her internship with The Cliff, a Jersey City restaurant which focuses on serving unprocessed, primarily vegetarian and vegan fare. A community favorite, The Cliff is not only known for its healthy options but for its welcoming atmosphere. Having the opportunity to complement her studies with first-hand business experience provided Daniela with exposure into the ins and out of running a business.

“Working with Eva and having this opportunity was a great experience. I did not only get to learn more about how to run a business but it gave me a brighter perspective on my community and how involved one has to be in order to be successful. I was able to exercise my knowledge in web design and graphic design in a way that was helpful and actually fun. As you may know, I am a chemistry major and this was completely out of my comfort zone but I could not be happier that I did it. I have lived in The Heights for so long and I did not know such an amazing place was so close to me. When you walk into a business or a restaurant sometimes you don’t really think about everything that is involved or what takes place in order to keep it moving and standing. This experience really taught me how and what goes on behind the scenes, and how mindful business owners and workers in general, are and need to be with their customers. It was fun for me due to the fact that I did not pursue graphic design and the fact that I mixed it with a business related environment. Overall it widened my perspective in topics I didn’t know were so important.” — Daniele Noguera

Given the hectic schedule associated with running a successful business, interns can often provide much needed support in key areas. Often times, interns quickly become an integral part of the team. Such was the case for Daniela.

“The Saint Peter’s University Social Impact Internship Program we were fortunate enough to participate in was extremely helpful. As a small business owner in an already challenging field of food and beverage I wear many hats on a daily basis. Having the opportunity to work with an intern to help with important aspects of the business such as graphic design, marketing and web design allowed me more time to focus on building our customer base and catering to further strengthen the business. Working with Ms. Noguera on a weekly basis for a few weeks she was able to assist in updating our website to better streamline online orders, re-design and layout a new catering menu, make updates to our current menu and design new marketing materials such as flyers and merchandise.” — Eva Johannesdottir, Founder of The Cliff.

About Us

The Ignite Institute, a Center of Excellence at Saint Peter’s University, sparks the spirit of entrepreneurship through education, programming, and research that fosters economic growth and development.