North Columbus News

Students in various majors gained practical work experience this summer through the Wheeler and Wolstein Internship Program. Participants presented their projects at central Ohio companies during an August 9 event at The Ohio State University’s Student Entrepreneurs’ Center, home of the Keenan Center for Entrepreneurship.

The program provides scholarship funding to undergraduate and graduate students interning with startup companies and small businesses. Students are matched with organizations offering project-based internships throughout Ohio State’s summer term (May-August).

“This is an exciting program for us because it gives students an opportunity for real-world work experiences and to do some fun things,” said Cheryl Turnbull, senior director of Ohio State’s Keenan Center for Entrepreneurship.

The Wheeler and Wolstein Internship Program is funded by contributions from the late Tom Wheeler, an industrial engineer and Ohio State alumnus, and the Bert and Iris Wolstein Foundation.

“The dollars that they give go 100% to allowing students to have an internship that our startup companies and small businesses don’t have to pay for,” Turnbull said. “It’s a win-win for our companies and for our students. Students get a great experience, and the companies have access to this awesome talent.”

This summer, students interned at companies ranging from business incubators to real estate development firms to technology enterprises. Several host companies originated from the Ohio State President’s Buckeye Accelerator program that supports student-led business ventures.

Information systems major Parker Haskett interned at ParaWave, which provides drone technology to first responders. Haskett managed the company’s social media and website while creating a leaflet detailing services for prospective clients.

“I made their new website from scratch using WordPress… I did get to use my interest in website design,” Haskett said. “I was able to combine my knowledge of ParaWave into this three-pager.”

Radiologic sciences and therapy major Safa Mohamed oversaw customer relationship management operations for PointPro, which assists businesses in assessing risks and managing assets.

“I gained exposure to the technology industry, which I hadn’t had before,” she said. “Working remotely caused me to manage my time very efficiently.”

Biomedical engineering major Hari Kasi interned with the Ohio Innovation Fund, conducting market research and brainstorming growth strategies for various central Ohio companies.

Kasi noted that his internship complemented his personal interest in entrepreneurship as he co-founded Almara, a startup connecting cancer patients with clinical trials. His capstone project involved assisting life sciences firms in coordinating clinical trials.

“Working really close with companies was amazing because you got to see how the team develops...how you can position yourself during the clinical trial stage to be successful,” he said.

City and regional planning major Brady Foy interned with Spire Development, analyzing central Ohio's real estate market trends.

“I gained a lot of understanding of the real estate world,” he said. “I worked on the development side...property management...[completed] bookkeeping stuff...exchanged emails with different parts of the business.”

Shannon Bradley, program coordinator at Keenan Center for entrepreneurial programs and talent, encouraged students to leverage their internship experiences when entering the workforce.

“Every project that you worked on has a direct impact on the company,” she told them. “I encourage you to tell that story to future employers.”