Students share unique summer internship experiences in Chicago and Naperville area

When students join the North Central College community, they also connect with endless internship opportunities in Chicago and the Naperville area. These students found summer experiences at prestigious organizations like the Chicago Cubs, Ravinia and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory to build their résumés and prepare for their careers. Their internships rank among the highlights of their college careers.

Kevin Prchal ’16, organizational communication major
Ravinia

“When I found myself standing in front of a room of seasoned Ravinia employees, presenting a concept that I developed as an intern, it was merely an extension of the skills, confidence and training I received from classes like Advanced Public Speaking, Business and Professional Communication, Public Relations and Group Process [at North Central].”

Lacey Kwiatek ’15, sport management major
Chicago Cubs

“I have always wanted to work in professional sports but on the business management side. The sport management program at North Central is a great mix of sport information and business. This internship [in the Premiere Services Department for the Chicago Cubs] involved the business aspect of a sports team.”

Kelly Vazquez ’16, physics major
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory

“I received an [internship] offer for the summer and it was exactly what I wanted to do—working with cancer research, which is something I have a huge passion for. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do physics or mechanical engineering, and so this summer was an awesome combination of the two.”

Eduardo Sanchez ’16, broadcast communication major
NBC Network

“The internship [at NBC] showed me that I really want to stay in the field of journalism, whether it’s on-air reporting, behind-the-scenes, working at the desk or on social media. The task now is to ask ‘how do I change myself’ and ‘how do I adapt to the new skills’ with writing and video editing tools that go along with the changing environment of journalism.”

Troy Kelleher ’16, journalism major
MACLYN (advertising)

“Landing my internship started at North Central College—working in the Office of Marketing and Communications. The staff took all the student workers on a fieldtrip to MACLYN group so we could see what advertising looks like in the real world. For the first time, I knew I could do something I loved after college.”

Steven Karnoscak ’16, accounting major
Calamos Investments

“I was an auditing and compliance intern, which involved checking the books and helping with the compliance process. I was able to get hands-on experience with some of the audits. It was a great experience. Everyone was very welcoming, very supportive, and any questions I had they were always willing to answer them.”