2017 Interns Gained Invaluable Experience

Overview

In the summer of 2017, Business+Impact had a number of internship opportunities with a broad spectrum of organizations. Students from Ross, Ford, School of Social Work, Natural Resources, and other programs developed their skills while helping mission-driven organizations in Detroit and around the world.

The Center’s Impact Corps internships placed MBAs and BBAs with global organizations like the Environmental Defense Fund and Ashoka, as well as with social enterprises like LegWorks and Torrent Consulting. Our Summer Fund helped place Masters and BBA students with government and impact organizations across the country, with funding from the Center for Social Impact and the student-run Give-A-Day Fund. Our co-sponsored Ross Open Road sent eight Ross students to seven U.S. states and nine organizations over the month of May. Additionally, our Change Agents internship program had BBAs engage in week of intense orientation followed by 9 weeks of work with a regional impact organization.

Internships are an important part of the work that Business+Impact does. Students who engage in internships are consistently amazed at the passion and purpose of the impact organizations with which they partner. Students are challenged to apply business learning to ambiguous organizational challenges. It requires a level of flexibility and insight to be successful.

Below, we share snapshots of some of their experiences, providing a window into the broad experiences that Business+Impact offers:

Zach Friedman, MBA/MS ’19

Type of Internship: Ross Open Road
Organizations: Merit Goodness, Vice District Brewing, Wild Idea Buffalo Company, Fargo Brewing Company, The Golden Yoke
Location: Detroit, MI; Chicago, IL; Rapid City, ND; Fargo, ND; St. Ignatius, MT
Project: Variety of projects for social entrepreneurs

My Experience: “What has connected all of our partners is a passion to serve their communities, be it underserved youth in Detroit, South Loop residents of Chicago or the Great Plains ecosystem of South Dakota. An entrepreneur’s social impact isn’t determined by the scale of his or her community, but how they serve its needs. “

Andrew Hatfield, MBA ’18

Type of Internship: Impact Corps Internship
Organization: Torrent Consulting
Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Project: Launch a social enterprise rotational program/incubator within Torrent

My Experience: “Torrent Consulting sets aside 10% of its profits to fund & launch social entrepreneurs. My job was to research social entrepreneurship and apply structure and rigor to the process to ensure replicable success. We succeeded in creating a model that would not only keep Torrent profitable, but would also organically grow the fund with each new entrepreneur. With that goal in mind, the actionable results/deliverables from this internship are a major win. No matter where I land, this offers me greater credibility as I try to connect the best lessons from the business world with the best intentions of the humanitarian community.”

Colleen Hill, MBA ’18

Type of Internship: Summer Fund/Give-A-Day Fund
Organization: Room to Read
Location: San Francisco, CA
Project: Data analysis on budget trends, delays and strategy for nine countries in which the organization operates

My Experience: “The funding I received from the Give A Day Fund was incredibly helpful. Living in the Bay Area with an unpaid internship is impossible, and the support I received from Business+Impact made my summer a little easier. My internship with Room to Read has allowed me to understand the operations of a well-established and well-organized nonprofit. (My advice:) There are a lot of opportunities out there that you may not yet be aware of, so learn about some that sound interesting, while sticking to your core career goals.”

Kevin Howard, BBA ’19

Type of Internship: Change Agents
Organization: Neutral Zone
Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Project: B-Side Website, YOR Website, CR course, Revenue Analysis

My Experience: “I was surprised at how different it is to work with nonprofits as opposed to the business school. The environment is much more laid back but everyone has the same goal in mind. I think my biggest takeaway is learning how to succeed in a mission-driven organization where everyone has the same goal for the community. This is a great program and a great opportunity to learn more about yourself and business. Take it if you have the chance!”

Kaushik Moro, MBA

Type of Internship: Impact Corps Internship
Organization: LegWorks
Location: San Francisco, CA
Project: Prepare materials for raising a Series A in the third quarter of 2017

My Experience: “Working at a startup can be hard work but seeing the impact of LegWorks’s products in the developing world was a powerful motivator for entire team and me. My internship exposed me to the venture capital industry and has motivated to explore a career in the impact investing space long term. (When working,) understand what matters most to you and see if you identify with the company’s core mission. This will help you when working with passionate and driven people at these organizations.”

Manasvini Rao, BBA ’19

Type of Internship: Change Agents
Organization: Neutral Zone
Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Project: B-Side Website, YOR Website, CR course, Revenue Analysis

My Experience: “My greatest takeaway from this summer would probably be that consulting for nonprofits can be ambiguous at times but it’s also incredibly rewarding because you’re working with people with such big hearts who really care about the issues they’re facing. Business+Impact was great in letting us do all of this without having to worry about any financial issues, and was always there if we had any questions to ask about the internship process.”