See where Heavener undergraduate students are interning this summer

This summer, undergraduate and combination degree students in the University of Florida Heavener School of Business have taken the next step in their professional development through internships with national and international companies. By applying what they’ve learned in the classroom to real-world business challenges, these experiences help students strengthen their skills, explore potential career paths and expand their professional networks. For undergraduate students, internships are an important opportunity to gain practical experience, clarify career goals and stand out to future employers.

Meet several Heavener undergraduate students who are spending their summer in internships and learn how these experiences are shaping their professional aspirations.

Veda Katta | BABA ‘27

Internship: Legal Summer Analyst | Goldman Sachs | Dallas, TX

Internship goal: My goal with this internship is to foster strong interpersonal skills in a high-paced, legal, and reputational risk-focused environment. I also hope to explore the breadth of corporate legal career opportunities from accomplished professionals and gain invaluable advice as I continue my path toward law school.

What I’ve learned in my internship: In the past few weeks, I have learned the various legal risk factors and standards to which large financial institutions hold themselves to. I have learned how to generate value-add for a team not only through collaboration and strong work ethic, but also through a deep understanding of the core, institutional values of a company.

Bryce Gillingham | BSBA ‘29

Internship: Specialty Lines Intern, Sales and Marketing | Tower Hill Insurance Group | Gainesville, FL

Internship goal: My goal for this internship is to get accustomed to the corporate environment while also gaining an understanding of the operations of a billion-dollar company, from business intelligence to human resources. Beyond learning, I hope to produce outputs that can be used to create real value for the company even after I have left. 

What I’ve learned in my internship: The learning has been continuous and plentiful! The insurance industry is very complicated and there is a steep learning curve. Fortunately, during my time I’ve been given several learning resources, from videos to entire textbooks. On top of industry knowledge, I have learned the intricacies of releasing new products and gained experience supporting corporate image and identity. 

Victoria Michalski | BSBA ‘27, MSE ‘28

Internship: Management Consulting Intern | RSM US | New York City, NY

Internship goal: Coming into this internship, I set three specific goals: grow my network both within my sub-function and across the firm, strengthen my data visualization and analysis skills, and build a deeper technical understanding of my practice area. I wanted hands-on experience working with clients, and I saw my placement on the Customer Growth and Strategy team as an ideal way to gain that exposure while learning directly from the team’s approach. Each week, I made a point to take concrete steps toward all three goals, whether that meant coffee chats, a new analytical technique, or a deliverable that advanced my understanding, while also staying focused on producing high-quality work that supported our project sprints.

What I’ve learned in my internship: Throughout my internship, I’ve learned more about implementing technology modernizations, conducting efficient user interviews and research, analyzing data during discovery phases, and applying design thinking principles to real client problems. However, the most valuable lesson I took away was about communication. Staying consistent and reaching out early to share progress or raise questions has made the difference between work that stays on track and work that does not, and it is a skill I have built that I carry into every aspect of my life.

Jeremy Thomas | BSBA ‘28

Internship: Sales Intern | PepsiCo, Frito-Lay | Gainesville, FL

Internship goal: My goal was to get hands-on experience with retail execution and account management by supporting two Route Sales Representative routes. Specifically, I wanted to improve first time pick rates, help place new secondary displays in stores, and build stronger communication habits with the RSRs and my supervisor, all while applying what I’ve learned in my professional selling coursework to a real business setting.

What I’ve learned in my internship: This internship taught me that sales leadership is less about giving instructions and more about consistency, communication and building trust with the people you work with. I also learned how much relationship building matters at every level, from earning trust with store managers to communicating clearly with my team, and that has clarified that I want a career built on real metrics and real relationships.