The Entrepreneurship Capstone’s internship opportunities have undergone significant changes to adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic. The capstone, entering its second year, allows seniors to gain an internship at a company to learn about entrepreneurship, all while creating a start-up business themselves. The capstone project culminates in an end-of-year business proposal delivered to a panel of potential investors.
This year, however, both the internships and the end-of-year proposal have had to adapt to follow social distancing measures. Each company has structured its internships differently. Some internships have been conducted entirely online. Others have been participating in in-person internships (while still following safety procedures), and still more have participated in hybrid internships.
Bridget ‘21, who is interning at a company developing underwater headsets, has had her internship conducted entirely virtually. She has been reaching out to influencers and working with the company’s social media team, as well the marketing team.
Bridget believes her internship is successful despite being virtual, as “a lot of the activities [for her internship] do not require us to be in person.”
The end-of-year proposal has also seen changes. Last year, proposals were pre-recorded and posted to Marlborough’s Celebration of Innovation website. And while the proposals will remain virtual once again, the Entrepreneurship team aims to make them more interactive, with live speeches before a panel.
Director of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Regina Rosi Mitchell thinks that virtual internships and interaction have helped students adapt to a changing work environment.
“What I love about the fact that we’re virtual is that both students and companies alike have really had to learn how to conduct remote work and to do so productively,” Rosi Mitchell said.
Furthermore, she said there are advantages to remote work.
“If there’s a really interesting company that’s headquartered in Atlanta… or a company that’s headquartered in New York or Wisconsin or Florida… a student could still add value as an intern and have a really incredible internship experience even if the company that she’s working with isn’t located in Los Angeles,” she said.
