Our panel was moderated by senior QMSS Peer Mentor Maddie Shakoori, and panelists included the following senior QMSS students all set to graduate at the end of next semester:

  • Lindsey Smith, Organization, People, & Change Consulting Intern at West Monroe; 
  • Maddy Arend, Data Science Intern for the Chicago Blackhawks; 
  • Teresa McKiernan, Data Analyst Intern at PitchBook Data; 
  • Claire Wirka, an Investment Banking Summer Analyst at Piper Sandler; 
  • Bela Fischer, a William Lapenta Intern at NOAA; 
  • Diya Chadha, a Clinical Trial Regulatory Technology Intern at Eli Lilly; and 
  • Charlotte Sands, and Independent Risk Management Intern at PNC. 

Their majors, respectively, range from Organizational Studies, Economics, and Data Science, to PiTE and Spanish. Together, they offered honest advice on navigating applications, interviews, and the often-intimidating first weeks on the job.

From Applications to Offers

Each panelist emphasized the importance of leveraging QMSS coursework and projects during the application process. Python, R, and Excel came up repeatedly as critical skills- especially when paired with the analytical mindset developed in classes like QMSS 201 and 301. Several of the panelists noted that the interviewers asked detailed questions about their QMSS projects, underscoring the program’s practical relevance.

Panelists’ advice:

  • Highlight QMSS projects and coding experience directly on your resume.
  • Tailor each application to the position and be ready to discuss project details.
  • Seek help- QMSS Peer Mentors are a great resource for one-on-one advice & support!

Mentorship and Networking

Networking, both before and during the internship, was a recurring theme. Panelists advised starting early and reaching out to alumni and professionals, attending coffee chats, and making the most of career fairs. They advised that networking should not stop once you’ve secured a role or offer - continuing to meet people across teams helps identify future opportunities and build mentorship connections.

Panelists’ advice:

  • Reach out early, even if it feels intimidating - most people are happy to help!
  • After landing an internship, keep networking internally to find mentors.
  • Be genuine in your outreach and connect personally.

On the Job

Panelists also spoke about the value of staying open and honest with managers during internships. Weekly check-ins, asking for feedback, and acknowledging when you need help were described as essential habits for growth and learning.

A “day in the life” looked different for everybody. While Maddy described working independently with Python and SQL for the Chicago Blackhawks, Bela discussed collaborating with other interns at NOAA to research new coding libraries that helped them work more efficiently. Despite the differences, all agreed that curiosity and adaptability made the biggest impact.

QMSS skills proved especially transferable, with panelists emphasizing how their technical skills allowed them to learn corporate tools quickly. Tableau skills from QMSS translated seamlessly to Power BI, while R experience made it easier to work with platforms like Microsoft PowerOps. “Messing around with tools and just trying things out is the fastest way to learn,” panelist Maddy Arend noted.

Panelists’ advice:

  • Be open about what you do not know and use feedback to grow.
  • Stay adaptable and transfer QMSS skills to whatever tools your team uses.
  • Treat learning new technologies as part of the job, not a hurdle.

Final Advice

From overcoming imposter syndrome to crafting an elevator pitch, the panelists left attendees with a common takeaway: confidence and experience grows through doing. As panelist Lindsey Smith put it, “You might not know everything on day one, but that’s exactly why you’re there.”