Keystone students Tristin Williams and Samuel Vierling spent a month abroad as part of the Sodexo International Internship program. Sodexo is the international company that manages Keystone’s facilities and dining services. The students left for Dublin, Ireland, last June for a three week, facilities management internship at Microsoft and enjoyed a fourth week for vacation travel.
The interns studied space utilization at the international headquarters of Microsoft and interns were assigned different areas to survey space utilization at different times of the day. The collected data was used in preparation for a new Microsoft facility being constructed across from the current international headquarters.
Tristin, a senior public health major with a minor in psychology, believes the internship increases her marketability in the public health field. She credits Keystone for giving her the tools necessary to build her future.
“I love working with new people and learning about different cultures, different avenues of life. I love it all. Being a public health major, I think it’s important for employers to see that I’m adaptable and willing to learn about the cultures of other places.”
-Tristin Williams, Albany, N.Y.
Samuel, a junior computer science and information technology double major, enjoyed his time in Europe so much that he’s already searching for new opportunities abroad. Samuel believes Keystone has provided a solid foundation for building his future.
“I chose Keystone for its information technology program and small class sizes,” said Samuel, a Factoryville, Pa. resident. “Keystone had everything I was searching for in an educational setting.”
The international internship featured a fourth week for personal travel. Tristin visited friends in London, while Samuel remained in Ireland to visit the Slieve League Cliffs before tracing his lineage to Wales and the United Kingdom.
Internships and experiential learning programs provide a supervised period of practical work experience that help students explore various career fields and learn to apply classroom principles to real-world situations. Students gain leadership and management skills, professional growth and personal fulfillment.
