UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Hamza Al Aufi was really looking forward to doing an in-person internship this summer, and while meeting with a career coach in the Liberal Arts Career Enrichment Network, Al Aufi was encouraged to apply to the Virginia Todd Chapel Executive Internship Program in the College of the Liberal Arts.
The Chapel Executive Internship Program supports internship experiences for Liberal Arts students who achieve academic success and who seek top-level career development opportunities in the private sector. The program was established by Virginia "Jinnie" Todd Chapel and her husband, John, with leadership gifts creating an endowment now valued at $2.5 million. Virginia Todd Chapel graduated from Penn State in 1965 as an English major.
This year, the program offered 22 high-performing students a stipend of $5,000 for their internship experience. Al Aufi is one of those students, and he is currently interning at Swiss Re America Holding Corporation.
The fourth-year economics and international politics major had to relocate to Armonk, New York to participate in this internship, but thankfully, he said, the Chapel Executive Internship funding helped make the transition less stressful.
“This award helped me prepare for the internship, and mentally, it helped me fully enjoy and be present so that I could get the most out of it,” said Al Aufi, who is originally from Alhamra, Oman.
At Swiss Re, Al Aufi works in the company’s risk management department measuring risks within the company and reporting controls for regulation requirements. The experience has allowed him to focus on learning more about his intended career field.
“[The internship] has given me a picture of how the market looks and what I should be learning throughout my senior year. And what I should do, in terms of narrowing down my choices, when it comes to post-graduate plans,” Al Aufi said.
After learning of the funding he was set to receive, Al Aufi was thankful to the Chapels and the College of the Liberal Arts, and he said he felt like his hard work and dedication were being recognized by the college.
“The College of the Liberal Arts really cares about its students and the journey they are going through,” he said. “It gives you an indication that the college has a holistic look for its students. It’s not just about academics — they also care about your extracurriculars and gaining professional experience.”
During his time at Penn State, Al Aufi has been involved in many organizations and opportunities on campus, including being an international student ambassador for the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and being an active member in various cultural organizations. He advises his peers to get involved as early as possible and to take advantage of every resource available.
“Reach out to your advisers and career coaches within the college,” he said. “They really are interested in helping students. They have shown that multiple times on many occasions.”
This is the second in a series of stories about Liberal Arts students participating in Chapel Executive Internships this summer. Students interested in applying for a Chapel Executive Internship for fall should apply by the Sept. 1 deadline through the Liberal Arts Career Enrichment Network.