College of IST student interns share experiences, offer internship advice

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST) requires all undergraduate students to complete at least one internship before graduation. The students intern around the world in a wide range of industries, applying the knowledge and skills they gain in the classroom to real-world workplaces. 

More than 60% of IST students complete multiple internships, and nearly 85% receive a job offer from a previous internship provider. This summer, IST sent interns to hundreds of different organizations, including Amazon, Apple, the CIA, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Comcast, Dallas Cowboys, Estée Lauder, Sheetz and every branch of the U.S. military. Here, four of these students share their internship experiences.  

Mia Pugliano, Dick’s Sporting Goods 

Since May, Mia Pugliano, a fourth-year student in security and risk analysis (SRA), has worked as a cybersecurity intern at Dick’s Sporting Goods in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania. The internship has provided her with an opportunity to experience different cybersecurity and digital trust areas, such as threat intelligence, disaster recovery, vulnerability management and business continuity. 

“I wanted to do an internship near Pittsburgh and found out about this opportunity online,” Pugliano said. “I love sports, so this was a perfect fit.” 

Pugliano said she polished her resume with the help of an IST career solutions adviser. 

“I also had been in contact with the recruiter from Dick’s Sporting Goods and met him in person at the career fair,” she said.  

Pugliano identified two SRA courses — risk analysis in a security context and overview of information security — as the IST classes that best prepared her for her internship.  

“With this internship, I learned about the platforms that Dick’s Sporting Goods uses to help with business continuity and disaster recovery,” she said. “The experience definitely affirmed by choice of major and helped me choose a career path.” 

Pugliano offered advice to IST students seeking internships.  

“Keep in contact with recruiter and always follow up with them so they remember you,” she said.  

Hope Stylios, Deloitte 

Hope Stylios, a fourth-year student in cybersecurity analytics and operations, completed a nine-week internship with Deloitte in Arlington, Virginia. Stylios said she selected the internship — which included a trip to Colorado Springs to tour the Schriever Space Force Base — as an opportunity to explore cybersecurity in a new field, a new environment, and a new city.  

“Throughout the internship, I gained an in-depth understanding of the Space Force account, utilized my technical writing skills, and enhanced my cyber capabilities,” she said. 

As a cyber risk and financial advisory summer scholar, Stylios researched cybersecurity threats and vulnerabilities, which enhanced the development of her open-source intelligence knowledge.  

“The IST class that best prepared me for my internship was cyber incident handling and response,” she said. “The reports I had to write in class helped me focus on writing threat intelligence reports that required operational information at Deloitte.” 

Stylios offered the following internship advice to fellow IST students: “I would advise them to apply to whatever internships their heart desires and not to limit themselves or underestimate their capabilities” she said. “Interning at Deloitte solidified my decision to pursue a career in cybersecurity.” 

Ayan Sidahmed, Liberty Mutual 

Ayan Sidahmed, a fourth-year student in information sciences and technology, completed the Techstart Internship at Liberty Mutual in Boston. She discovered the opportunity through the Nittany Lion Careers platform.  

“This internship provided an opportunity for me to do real work and make a real impact,” Sidahmed said. “As a member of the Vendor Support Team, I created a service tool that makes it easier, faster and more efficient for clients and agents to get their quotes. My team will be able to utilize this tool for the rest of their time at Liberty Mutual.” 

“My favorite part of my internship was learning from software engineers who were all in different stages of their career,” Sidahmed said. “My mentor has been an engineer for 30 years.” 

Sidahmed, who selected the integration and application option for the IST major, offered advice for fellow IST students as they look for internships.  

“Truly just be you,” she said. “Don’t modify who you are to fit the image of what you think the internship is looking for because you honestly don’t know what that is. To gain real value from the experience, you want to be your authentic self and make sure it’s a good fit for you.” 

Britney Wang, International Youth Foundation 

Britney Wang, a third-year student in human-centered design and development (HCDD), completed a six-week remote internship with the International Youth Foundation. As a chat app intern, Wang worked to enhance the user experience and functionality of the Kefeta Social Media Training Program, which aims to empower Ethiopian youths to leverage digital resources for society growth and development, according to the organization’s website.  

“I applied for an internship position at the International Youth Foundation because their values of empowering others and helping youth find their passion resonated with me,” Wang said.  

She said that two IST classes — foundations of HCDD and design practices in HCDD — best prepared her for the internship.  

“I gained hands-on experience by enhancing the chat app’s navigation and user experience, writing lesson content, developing an interactive flow map, and designing graphics,” Wang said. “I also co-hosted a presentation about using TikTok to improve our own lives and that of the organization.” 

Wang said the internship affirmed her decision to major in HCDD while also pursuing two minors. 

“Working in a global nonprofit organization embraced my focus area in diversity and inclusion,” she said. “It also helped me decide to take on a second minor in digital entrepreneurship and innovation.” 

Wang said she recommends that students make sure their resume caters to the industry or position they’re looking for. She also encourages IST undergraduate students to apply for internships and remember that it’s a numbers game. 

“You may get many rejections, but you only need one to win,” she said. “My summer internship turned out to be much more than I could have asked for.”