While most students at Hackley spend their summers going to camps, swimming in pools, and vacationing with family, a few of our seniors spent last summer immersing themselves in amazing working opportunities, getting a head start on life after college. Seniors Arielle Stern, James Mattei, Zach Shalett, and Katie Bogart are just a few of the seniors who spent their summers participating in incredible internships in everything from local biotech companies to startups on the other side of the country.

Arielle and James both worked at Regeneron in what they call a “mentorship,” one step below the college student interns. Regeneron is a biotechnology company based in Tarrytown, New York that specializes in pharmaceuticals and focuses on the proteins responsible for the growth and care of neurons and their regenerative abilities. Both Arielle and James did lab work and experiments in the morning  and later would organize their data and observations.

Arielle connected with Regeneron through Hackley. “I just remember Dr. Ying stood up at one of the chapel meetings last year and he said he had this great opportunity and if anyone was interested, come find him, so it was really easy to get involved,” she said.

James’ interest in science seems to run in the family. “My mom is a research marine biologist, one of my sisters got a PhD in cellular biology, and the other [sister] is in medical school,” he said. James was grateful for his lab experiences this summer. “It may seem kind of daunting at first, but if you are into science then it’s definitely worth looking into.” he said.

On the other side of the country, Zach worked at The Appreciation Engine this summer, a social media analytics company based in Santa Monica, California, alongside 40 other interns. The Appreciation Engine’s goal is to help a company market a product by using information from their customers with their permission. Some of the many skills Zach learned included search engine optimization, content audits, and competitor analysis. Zach said the experience “taught me what it’s like to start a company and set big goals while working on a small scale.”

Katie, an aspiring medical student, interned at the cardiothoracic surgery lab (CTS) at Columbia University this summer. Katie both worked on a computer, revising reports on pneumonia in lung-transport patients, and in the operating room, getting real hands-on experience. She also attended meetings and conducted personal research throughout the summer. “The year before I had done something at the CTS also at Columbia, but I did not get anywhere close to the same experience,” said Katie.