Navigation

Strengthening Skills Through Internships

Summer internships help students explore careers and strengthen their skills. Elizabeth Jaimes, ’15, Rimsha Afzal, ’15, and Abigail Lorentzen, ’16, were among the many Meredith students who completed internships this summer.

Elizabeth Jaimes, ’15

During Elizabeth Jaimes’ summer internship at the UNC Gillings School of Public Health, the Meredith senior worked in the nutrition department on a project that deals with the connection between macrophage-driven inflammation and obesity.

A chemistry major earning a biology minor, Jaimes said she became interested in a research internship after taking Biochemistry I and II lab courses. “At my internship, I enjoyed seeing the concepts I learned in my courses come into action.”

The laboratory courses she has taken and the critical thinking skills she’s gained at Meredith prepared her well for the work, and to achieve her career goals.

“My goal is to attend pharmacy school in the future, and I hope this experience will help to make me a competitive candidate,” Jaimes said. “I’m also considering the option of working in the science industry for a few years before enrolling in pharmacy school, and this internship taught me useful lab skills.”

Rimsha Afzal, ’15

Rimsha Afzal returned to the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s Marlene and Stewart Greenbaum Cancer Center, in Baltimore, Md. For a second year she worked as a student intern in thePhoto of Rimsha Afzal, Class of 2015, wearing black top Nathan Schnaper Cancer Research Internship Program. This summer, her project involved identifying how the activation of a gene present in many cancers, known as Myc, can lead to genomic instability.

Afzal is earning a double major in biology and theatre at Meredith. After graduation, she plans to attend medical school, and hopes to work in the field of oncology.

“The internship program was very appealing to me because it not only gave me a chance to work on basic research in a lab, but I got the chance to shadow many medical professionals at the University of Maryland outpatient cancer center,” Afzal said. “These physicians specialized in several types of cancers (solid tumors and blood cancers) so getting a good taste of everything was fascinating. With it being my second year here, I have also been able to network extensively.”

Abigail Lorentzen, ’16

As an intern with the Nicholas Sparks Foundation, Abigail Lorentzen, ’16, supported the non-profit’s mission to increase access to innovative global learning forPhoto of Abigail Lorentzen, Class of 2016, seated at desk writing students in rural, low-income communities.

Lorentzen worked with the communications team in foundation’s office in New Bern, N.C.

“I worked with donors by sharing the mission and vision of the foundation, on the foundation’s Facebook page and website,” Lorentzen said

A benefit of the internship was the opportunity for the mass communication and international studies major to explore potential careers.

“Working to help form the foundation’s image led me to consider a career in public relations,” Lorentzen said. “I would love to work in some capacity with an educational travel company that provides domestic and international travel experiences. These kinds of opportunities are a crucial part of the global, 21st century education that the Nicholas Sparks Foundation hopes to provide to rural students.”

Melyssa Allen

News Director
316 Johnson Hall
(919) 760-8087
Fax: (919) 760-8330

allenme@meredith.edu