Three AMA executive board members and the SUSA president joined us today to share their unique internship experiences and provide advice for those searching for one. This year’s panel includes VP of Finance Mathew Calderon, SUSA President Supriya Daddi, VP of Membership Isabella Guggino, and VP of Website Development Maeve Smarick. The conversation is facilitated by VP of Events, Giana Colonna.
What was your application and interview process like?
Isabella Guggino
Proving that it is never too late, Isabella secured her internship in April of the 2024 school year. She went through two rounds of Zoom interviews.
Maeve Smarick
At a career fair, Maeve met a recruiter from Giant Food and promptly followed up with them. The conversation was extended through a Zoom meeting, but she did not hear back again until January. She attended an interview day where she completed four back-to-back interviews, and later received a phone call offering her the position.
Mathew Calderon
Former VP of Marketing Samaura Steele posted the internship opportunity with Stanley Martin Homes in the AMA Slack. Mathew proceeded to fill out the application, sending his resume and a cover letter. A recruiter set up a Zoom meeting, and as a result of its success, his name was sent to the VP of Sales and VP of Marketing. After calls with both higher-ups, he received a final phone call offering a position.
Supriya Daddi
After seeing the internship opportunity on a recruiter’s LinkedIn, Supriya emailed the recruiter every month for six months. A phone call was set up, and they mostly talked about her resume. After visiting the company during Smith in the City, Supriya hopped on a call with a hiring manager, making sure to name-drop her Smith in the City experience. As a result, she was accepted for a position, and because of this unique process, had to fill out the initial application at the end.
What were your tasks and projects?
Isabella Guggino
Isabella spearheaded a storytelling campaign following the experiences of multiple breast cancer survivors. She interviewed 12+ individuals, both survivors and employees. Additionally, she filled other roles where necessary.
Maeve Smarick
Maeve tackled many writing projects, from newsletters to press releases to letters on behalf of the brand president. Because Giant also distributes their funds to support different causes and organizations, Maeve contributed to many community activation events as well. For instance, she helped out at Giant’s Barbeque Battle, a two-day event in Washington, D.C. Additionally, she created the media strategy for Giant’s annual donation of 11,000 turkeys and 4,000 pies to garner over 60 million media impressions.
Supriya Daddi
Working on the Trade Marketing team, a liaison between Sales and Marketing, Supriya was assigned a specific product line, the Gucci Floral Fragrance. She worked to understand the production process of this product from R&D, including where/how it was going to sell and how to track and maintain its sales progress. Conducting significant research and planning coffee chats with various employees, Supriya provided strategic recommendations for the fragrance, carefully considering various rules and regulations.
Mathew Calderon
Mathew worked with all four teams as a part of the marketing department. His main role was with Sales Operations, and he created a central knowledge base for offices from Maryland to Florida, condensing their Excel sheets into one system for the whole company. Mathew also collaborated with Marketing Operations on their multiple listing service (MLS) systems, conducting monthly reviews and making sure all rules and regulations were in compliance. He ended up posting over 75 houses on the website!
What advice would you give to someone looking for or experiencing their first internship?
Isabella Guggino
Be persistent and follow up. Do your research. Take initiative and reach out to hiring managers. Don’t give up. Be willing to complete tasks that you were not envisioning prior. Utilize skill sets unexpected by your employers.
Maeve Smarick
Create connections—Maeve previously had a one-on-one conversation with a previous intern from Giant. Show leadership skills and activeness in school. Provide clear and concise answers during interviews. Prepare extensively for interviews. Connect with your fellow employers and employees on LinkedIn. During your internship, be open to talking to new people.
Supriya Daddi
Be open to a wide range of internship opportunities—not every role is glamorous but it still contributes to your unique journey. Follow up, make connections, and show interest. During your internship, reach out and ask a lot of questions.
Mathew Calderon
Don’t be too selective when looking for internships. Retail jobs can also provide valuable experience when applying. Help wherever you are needed and work hard.
Favorite Part of Internship or Stand-Out Moment
Isabella Guggino
Isabella enjoyed being able to learn more about the lives of cancer survivors and how the American Cancer Society impacted them. She also showed interest in experiencing marketing specifically nonprofit work. Lastly, the welcoming and kind environment made her time there fly by!
Maeve Smarick
Barbeque Battle was one of Maeve’s favorite moments because she created connections with so many people and felt that this event made her stand out as an intern, from setting up pop-up tents to watching interviews with local news anchors. Her final presentation was also a rewarding experience, signifying a great way to end her summer and providing high-level professional exposure for the future.
Supriya Daddi
Supriya was fascinated by the R&D facility tour, an experience where she could see how beauty products were made, tested, and scaled. She was also overwhelmed with support at her final presentation, ending her internship on a conclusive, heartfelt note.
Mathew Calderon
Although not a typical internship event, Mathew enjoyed Happy Hour at Stanley Martin because he could connect with remote teams and hear about their lives outside of the professional world. Similar to the other panelists, Mathew found his final presentation rewarding, providing a recommendation to the VP of Marketing and as a result of its comprehensiveness, presenting it twice.
AMA would like to thank Giana Colonna for leading this engaging discussion, and thank you to our panelists for sharing their internship journeys as well as providing valuable advice!
- Chaewon Cheon
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