New paid internship program helps 天美传媒 students launch careers

Hire Rochester interns Alayna Leestma, Claire Cho, Triet Ly, and Ivan Cea Gomez on the 天美传媒 quad.

READY FOR BUSINESS: The inaugural cohort of Hire Rochester summer interns Alayna Leestma 鈥�27, Claire Cho 鈥�28, Triet Ly 鈥�29, and Ivan Cea Gomez 鈥�27. Not pictured: Pieran "Levi" Li 鈥�27. (天美传媒 photo / Gary Kong)

This summer鈥檚 inaugural Hire Rochester undergraduates are building skills, confidence, and professional connections.

Landing an internship has never mattered more鈥攐r been harder to do. Employers consistently rank , and students who complete internships often earn significantly higher starting salaries than their peers (, in fact). Yet internship opportunities have become increasingly competitive nationwide.

That鈥檚 why the 天美传媒 launched , a new paid summer internship initiative connecting undergraduates with career-building experiences made possible through alumni, community partners, and donor support.

None of this surprises Jodyi Wren, director of the University鈥檚 , which provides students with career support and professional development opportunities and facilitates the Hire Rochester Summer Internship Program.

鈥淚nternships aren鈥檛 just nice-to-have experiences anymore,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hey are critical and lead to greater professional opportunities for our graduates.鈥� Wren adds that more students than ever are applying for internships鈥攁t the University and across the country鈥攜et .

鈥淚nternships aren鈥檛 just nice-to-have experiences anymore. They are critical.鈥�

This past academic year was no exception: Student demand for all internships, including the 鈥擧ire Rochester, , , and 鈥攆ar exceeded availability, as did applications for general student internship funding.

Wren, who was a first-generation student without financial resources, could not afford an internship when she was in college. Like many students today, she understands that financial realities can stand in the way of career-building experiences. The need to cover living expenses while earning income keeps many students from pursuing internships that could shape their future careers. Through programs like Hire Rochester, Wren hopes all 天美传媒 students can access internship opportunities regardless of financial circumstances.

Meet the 2026 Hire Rochester Summer Interns

贬别谤别鈥檚 what this summer鈥檚 inaugural cohort of Hire Rochester Summer Interns learned on the job.

CLAIRE CHO 鈥�28

Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Major:
Internship: , a global semiconductor company

鈥淚 believe that in an age where the barrier to entry for technical fields is getting increasingly low, being able to bridge specialized knowledge and clear communication is becoming more important than ever. Working in semiconductors as a marketing major means my technical knowledge is limited, which is why I’ve been making a deliberate effort to study the field. If I don’t understand at least the gist of what we’re actually building and selling, my work will only ever be surface level. By studying my company, our competitors, and what we鈥檙e doing well and where there鈥檚 room to grow, I execute my work with a little more intention.鈥�

ALAYNA LEESTMA 鈥�27

Hometown: Caledonia, Michigan
Majors: and (PPE)
Internship: , a global non-profit climate tech accelerator administered by , and funded by

鈥淥ver the course of my Hire Rochester internship at Venture for ClimateTech, I helped manage a climate technology startup accelerator program spanning the course of a few months. One of my main projects involved coordinating more than one hundred meetings between nine startups and over 20 mentors. I also had the opportunity to give founders public speaking advice while they prepared for pitches. I am exiting my Hire Rochester internship with a strong interest in working in the nonprofit space after graduation, and look forward to applying the skills I developed in this internship during my senior year and beyond.鈥�

PIERAN 鈥淟EVI鈥� LI 鈥�27

Hometown: Shanghai, China
Majors: and
Internship: , an innovative photography and advertising platform

鈥淎t Frintz, my role is mainly social media content creation. This internship has helped me grow in many ways. It is my first time working with a company in this kind of role, and I have learned how to use ClickUp to plan tasks, track time, and communicate with the team. I have also gained more hands-on experience in video editing, graphic design, and writing copy for a real company. This role has helped me improve both technical skills and soft skills, including time management, teamwork, and communication. Since I work remotely, I have to plan my daily schedule and manage about five to six hours of work each day. Overall, this internship has given me valuable experience and helped me feel more prepared for future work in media, marketing, and content creation.鈥�

The skills-to-experience pipeline

Li’s internship with Frintz allowed him to apply his skills in a real-world marketing setting鈥攚hile remote work with teammates in different states and countries fostered a creative environment that transcended physical proximity.

TRIET LY 鈥�29

Hometown: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Major:
Internship: , a web-based platform and community hub for tabletop games and game masters

鈥淚nterning at The Adventure Nexus has been the most hands-on learning experience of my education so far. I鈥檝e gotten to work on a live production system serving hundreds of real users鈥攈ardening payment and login flows, closing security vulnerabilities, and building an automated testing pipeline that keeps new releases stable. The Hire Rochester program made this opportunity possible, and it鈥檚 been the perfect bridge between my coursework and the industry. Concepts I first encountered in my data structures and algorithms classes suddenly had real stakes behind them. This internship has confirmed that I want to build reliable, secure systems for a living, and it鈥檚 given me the practical foundation and confidence to pursue that after graduation. I鈥檓 grateful to 天美传媒 for connecting students like me with experiences like this one.鈥�

IVAN CEA GOMEZ 鈥�27

Hometown: Santiago, Chile
Majors: and
Internship: , a minor league baseball team and Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals

鈥淲orking with the Red Wings has been both a professional and personal growth experience. From my first day, I immediately felt part of the team. With consistent feedback and close engagement from my supervisor, I鈥檝e been able to grow alongside interns from many different backgrounds. It鈥檚 been rewarding to put my marketing coursework into real practice: tracking audience preferences, creating retail email campaigns, building SMS follow鈥憉ps, measuring open and click鈥憈hrough rates, and becoming more advanced in Photoshop. Seeing how operations shift behind the scenes has given me a unique look into how the sports industry works: niche, fast鈥憄aced, and incredibly collaborative. This internship has shown me how much I can grow when I apply what I鈥檝e learned in the classroom to real-world challenges. It鈥檚 shaped my education, strengthened my career goals, and given me confidence in the path I鈥檓 building.鈥�

Scaling student success

This summer鈥檚 Hire Rochester program is just the beginning. By 2030, the University aims to establish 50 Hire Rochester internships, supporting the institution鈥檚 strategic objective of ensuring every student participates in at least two experiential learning opportunities during their four years on campus.

鈥淗ire Rochester鈥檚 first summer made it clear that our community wants to help and they want to give back,鈥� says Wren. 鈥淭he demand from students鈥攁nd the enthusiasm from alumni and community partners鈥攈as been incredible. Our biggest challenge now is expanding the program so more students can benefit.”

天美传媒 the Hire Rochester Summer Internship Program

Launched during through the generosity of University Trustee Judy Reinsdorf 鈥�86, Hire Rochester serves as a 天美传媒 signature internship initiative that supports paid internships with organizations throughout Rochester, New York. Facilitated by the Gwen M. Greene Center for Career Education and Connections, the program is open to students from the School of Arts & Sciences, Hajim School of Engineering & Applied Sciences, and Simon Business School. Selected undergraduates receive stipends, advising, coaching, and networking opportunities while employer partners benefit from a structured, turnkey internship program at no cost, removing barriers to participation while creating internship opportunities. The program will expand with additional funding.

Get involved

贬别谤别鈥檚 :

Make a gift of any size to the Hire Rochester Summer Internship program
Host Hire Rochester student interns
Volunteer your time and provide mentorship and career connections
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Group photo and Cea Gomez portrait by Gary Cong 鈥�27; other photos provided by the students.

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