From Spectrum Intern to Employee: A Path to Success

Every summer, hundreds of students participate in Spectrum’s award-winning 10-week Internship Program, joining teams across the organization at one of the Company’s primary offices in Stamford, Conn., Charlotte, N.C., Denver, or St. Louis. During their time with Spectrum, interns get first-hand experience in a business environment, build their professional networks and learn more about the telecommunications industry.

As another year of the program draws to a close, Spectrum’s summer interns share their experiences and reflect on why their time with the company has been valuable, from networking and exposure to the business world, to putting their education to use in a real-world scenario.

"Being able to sit in on meetings, work on meaningful projects, and gain insights from executives around the company has already been a great experience,” said Ella Schum, a Product & Technology intern who is studying Business Analytics and Marketing at Miami University. “I can’t wait to continue to learn more."

Emmorie Brown, a Computer Science major at Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville and a Customer Operations intern said, “I get to really put my skills to the test and learn how to balance multiple responsibilities in a corporate environment.”

Paige Boyce, a Spectrum Business intern studying Information Systems and Technology at Harris-Stowe State University in St. Louis, is "looking forward to seeing how my hard work and late-night study sessions translate into real-world skills and contributions,” she said.

And for others, like Aribah Hossain, a Network Technology Services intern and Computer Engineering major at Ohio State University, there is real value in the relationships built during the program. “It’s fun to talk to others my age that are career-focused and ready to make an impact on the connectivity world,” she said.

Building a Spectrum Career

For many who have participated in Spectrum’s Internship Program, the experience provided them not only with a learning opportunity – it also gave them a place to start building their career after graduating.

“I loved it here right away,” said Marcel Parsons, Senior Business Planning Analyst, Sales & Marketing, and a member of the 2020 intern class.  “They really let you develop and get corporate experience, to actually learn,” I remember during my group’s final presentation there were some members of the executive leadership team in the room. It showed just how seriously they took this program.”

For some interns, the experience was so rewarding that after joining Spectrum, they have continued to participate in the program as mentors. Matthew Becker, Senior Manager, Data Science, Spectrum Business, and a member of Spectrum’s inaugural 2017 intern class, was a former high school math teacher who was looking for career change and a way to get into the data science field.

“I went back to grad school and instead of a thesis, the capstone project was an internship,” said Matthew. “Spectrum’s Internship Program really prepared me for a seamless transition to a full-time employee, and I now get to return the favor. I’ve been a mentor for our team’s interns, and I can say, an internship is a great chance to test somebody out and see what they’re capable of.”

Read more stories from our interns on Spectrum's LinkedIn page.