College interns share valuable lessons they learned this summer

Whether you see them marching along near Grand Central Terminal in their spiffy new blazers or have rolled your eyes at more than a few at your own office, we actually could all benefit from soaking up career inspiration from summer interns.

Next time you’re in a tight spot at work, you may find these Gen Zers’ wisdom serves you well.

Gianni Esposito

At national commercial real estate brokerage Matthews Real Estate Investment Services, Esposito, a 21-year-old Hamilton College rising senior, attends three to five hours of daily educational lessons.

“These classes are led by the industry’s top high-octane, specialized professionals in investment sales, leasing and capital markets,” he said.

The art of listening has proven to be the unsung superpower of corporate life for the young businessman.

“This may sound simple, but it is a skill that I believe many lack and do not realize it. I have learned that listening is not only hearing what someone is saying but using what you hear to form questions that can be used to extract the information you are looking for from the speaker,” said Esposito. “This skill will benefit my career as it has taught me to focus fully on someone else speaking, and try to have other people talk more than me in a conversation.”

Amina Khamitova

This summer, Khamitova, a rising junior at the University of Florida, has had the chance to “dive headfirst into the world of real estate marketing.”

As a commercial marketing analyst intern at Related Companies at 30 Hudson Yards, Khamitova, 20, works closely with their marketing team on projects such as the Related’s 360 Life app, where she contributes to enhancing the tenant experience and ensuring they have access to a wide range of services and amenities.

Being resourceful is her key take-away.

“As a first-generation college student from an immigrant family, I have not had much exposure to the corporate world,” she said. “I discovered that there are often multiple ways to approach a problem or task, and sometimes the most effective solutions require thinking outside the box.”

Elyza Nachimson

Nachimson, 20, worked as an art director intern at Dentsu Creative.

The rising senior at the School of Visual Arts has had the chance to pitch campaign ideas to various clients this summer at the brand and business innovator that specializes in digital experiences, p.r. and content marketing.

Nachimson attended brainstorming sessions and internal reviews, conceptualized ideas and created mood boards and mock-ups this summer.

“I’ve gotten to contribute ideas to clients like Oreo and Crayola,” she said, elaborating that managing various clients and juggling different briefs and multiple timelines taught her a lot.

One of the most essential lessons she gleaned is that “dumb questions” don’t exist.

“It’s more important to have a clear understanding of what my responsibility is, than to be embarrassed about not knowing something I think I’m already supposed to know,” she said.

Nachimson also learned the value of KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid).

“Sometimes, the best ideas are the ones that take the least explanation, so I’ve been trying to keep my ideas and explanations simple but still impactful,” she said. Plus, “start off with background information and ease into an idea rather than reveal it all at once.”

Jenner Berryhill

This rising 3L at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, got quite the change of scenery interning at Kirkland & Ellis’ NYC office this summer.

“I had many opportunities to work closely with other attorneys on important, sophisticated matters across multiple practice areas,” said Berryhill, 25, who also had the chance to work on a pro bono case helping a small business owner.

Festina lente (make haste slowly) has been a guiding principle.

“Even as a summer associate, it’s easy to get caught up and feel that everything is urgent and must be completed immediately,” reflected Berryhill. “I saw people stress to get a document drafted, only for the supervisor to remark that the document wasn’t needed for another two days.”

Instead of panicking, Berryhill saw that it’s best to ask for clarification on due dates, instructions, deliverables or whatever, and ensure everyone is on the same page with expectations.

Sophie Selwood

Selwood, a rising senior at Villanova University, worked on five accounts at the travel and hospitality p.r. firm J /PR this summer.

She researched projects on upcoming trends, learned how to develop press materials like backgrounders, press releases and pitches and worked on social media content creation.

“The most exciting days of my internship have been the ones where I am able to listen in on client calls and internal brainstorm meetings,” said Selwood, 21. “This experience has enabled me to reflect on my own thoughts and see how teams brainstorm strategies from start to finish.”

Acquainting herself with “the language of business” and how to communicate professionally “while letting your individual personality shine” have been standout takeaways for the student.

“J/PR has shown me professionalism in the workplace firsthand,” she said. “Each account in the agency has its own story and brand, and no client wants or needs are the same.”

Colin Chandna

Chandna, an MBA candidate at Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business, helps with influencer and media research at 20Two Studio, making clippings of client features and draft pitches, “which can be a bit more tricky than other tasks, but I absolutely love doing it and the guidance received from my account mentor,” she said.

At the creative communications firm, Chandna, 23, has come to appreciate how nuanced the p.r. industry is.

“People see p.r. at its face value and think it’s not a lot of work,” she said. “But behind each and every collaboration, article and feature, there is immense hard work, dedication and commitment.”

As an international student from India, Chandna came to New York with “so many dreams in my two suitcases,” she recalled. “This was a stepping stone to me achieving all of them.”