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Ursuline News

Summer Enrichment Through Student Internships

The Ursuline Summer Internship Program offers personal development, life-skills mentoring, and career awareness through practical experience.

Five seniors who took part in the internship program shared their experiences below:

Avery Richey ’23 recently completed an internship at Texas Skin Surgery Center with a Mohs surgeon, Dr. Martinelli.

Mohs surgeons remove skin cancer from an affected area, check to see if all margins are clear under a microscope and repeat the process until all margins are clear and the cancer is gone.

Avery shadowed Dr. Martinelli in patient rooms, the lab, and during surgery. She would take notes about what stood out to her in each case, and occasionally assisted Dr. Martinelli during surgery.

“I have always wanted to pursue a career in medicine, specifically Dermatology,” she said. “The experience made me realize I enjoy surgery more than I initially expected!”

She learned a lot about the human body, skin, and surgery procedures.

“I know so much more about the tools and equipment used, different types of cancers and their tendencies, as well as how to identify certain structures and cancer under a microscope,” she said.

“I am so thankful for the Ursuline internship program for allowing me to participate in such an incredible, unique, and inspiring learning experience,” she said. “Dr. Martinelli is one of the most phenomenal doctors I have ever encountered!”

Taylor Radack ’23 spent her summer interning with Flight Data Systems, running tests on equipment and compiling results for engineers.

“I hope to be an engineer in the aerospace sector one day and this internship provided me with the hands-on experience doing exactly that,” she said.

She learned that the career of an engineer and their day-to-day has a lot more variety than she originally thought.

“There is a lot of room in the industry to explore different careers and each day’s work is a little different,” she said.

Sophia Combs ’23 interned with two law firms this summer. First with Lopez & Freshwater PLLC in June, and then with Jackson Walker LLP in July/August.

Lopez & Freshwater PLLC is a small immigration law firm and Sophia helped file cases, retrieve and sort mail, “closed” client cases, observe consultations, correspond with clients, and conduct research.

She learned that immigration law is a tough field to work in.

“It takes a lot of empathy, emotional strength, and patience, both for the client and the attorney, because the process to citizenship, or even residency, is lengthy and difficult,” she said. “I gained an appreciation for attorneys who practice this kind of law because they work with all types of people, from all backgrounds and ways of life, looking to better their lives and work toward making that a possibility.”

At Jackson Walker LLP, she worked with the recruiting team in the middle of the 2L recruiting season. She organized on-campus interview materials for attorney interviewers, input candidate information into the database, set up interviews, and attended several recruiter meetings.

“I found this experience very valuable and grew immensely in the few weeks I spent at JW,” she said. “The level of professionalism in that environment was a first for me and reviewing documents like writing samples and resumes really opened my perspective to what the journey into the field of law truly consists of.”

Alexandra Alderink ’23 interned at GreenPeak Resources LLc, a hydro energy small business based in Dallas.

She helped them do small tasks like research potential out-takers and partners, make phone calls to ask for information, collaborate on Excel files, and make copies of physical files. Once a week, she joined her boss and his co-workers for a debriefing.

“I started this internship wanting office experience since I want to go into business,” she said. “I got more and more involved working for GreenPeak and enjoyed shadowing my boss, the CFO, and learning the ins and outs.”

“I learned what a financial model is and how it works, what the duties of CFO are, and even how to use a copy machine!” she said.

Stephanie Limaye ’23 spent her internship at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Plano, working with Dr. Lightfoot, Urologist.

“Every day at the hospital was jam-packed with patients, taking notes, procedures, and occasional textbook reading,” she said. “I often started the day with a chapter from a medical textbook. This deepened my understanding of medical diseases and syndromes, enriching my experience with Dr. Lightfoot and her patients.”

She was struck both by the complexity of medicine and the importance of doctor-patient interaction and meeting a patient where they are.

Being on the other side of the exam room gave her a feel for the inner workings of the practice.

“Whether it be nurses, front desk staff, or medical administration, there are many moving parts, and this cognizance painted a more well-rounded perspective on the day-to-day of running a practice,” she said. “I can confidently say that this experience has only strengthened my interest in medicine, and I am grateful for the opportunity!”