Students from various disciplines gained practical work experience this summer by participating in the Wheeler and Wolstein Internship Program. During an event on August 9 at Ohio State University’s Student Entrepreneurs’ Center, home of the Keenan Center for Entrepreneurship, students presented the projects they had worked on at companies in central Ohio.

The program offers scholarships for internships at startup companies and small businesses for undergraduate and graduate students. During the summer semester (May-August) at Ohio State University, students are assigned to organizations that offer project-based internships.

“This is an exciting program for us because it gives students the opportunity to gain hands-on work experience and do some fun things,” said Cheryl Turnbull, senior director of Ohio State Keenan Center for Entrepreneurshipa campus-wide hub for student entrepreneur development and part of Ohio State’s Enterprise for Research, Innovation and Knowledge.

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

“100% of the funds they donate go towards facilitating internships for students that our startups and small businesses don’t have to pay for,” Turnbull said. “It’s a win-win for our companies and for our students. The students get a great experience and the companies get access to this great talent.”

This summer, students completed internships at companies ranging from business incubators to real estate development firms to technology companies. Several of the host companies were founded by Ohio State. President’s Buckeye Accelerator Program that helps students start businesses.

Parker Haskett, a computer science major, interned at one of those companies, ParaWave, which provides drone technology to first responders. Haskett said he gained valuable experience managing the company’s social media and website, and he also created a three-page brochure detailing the company’s services for prospective clients.

“I built their new website from scratch using WordPress. … I was able to leverage my interest in website design,” Haskett said. “I was able to channel my knowledge of ParaWave into this three-pager.”

Safa Mohamed, a student of radiology sciences and therapy, was in charge of the customer relationship management activities of PointPro, a company that helps companies with risk assessment and asset management.

“I gained insights into the technology industry that I didn’t have before,” she said. “Working remotely allowed me to manage my time very efficiently.”

Hari Kasi, a biomedical engineering student, interned at the Ohio Innovation Fund, a business incubator, conducting market research and developing growth strategies for several companies in central Ohio.

Kasi said the internship complemented his personal interest in entrepreneurship. He is the co-founder of Almara, a startup that was one of the winning teams in this year’s President’s Buckeye Accelerator. The company aims to connect cancer patients with potentially life-saving clinical trials.

Kasi said his internship at the Ohio Innovation Fund culminated in a final project that allowed him to leverage his background in clinical research, assisting life sciences and biomedical companies with coordinating clinical trials.

“Working closely with companies was great because you could see how the team was developing, how they were investing and how they were continuing to drive growth along their journey,” he said. “That was really interesting to me, to see how you could position yourself during the clinical testing phase to be successful.”

Brady Foy, a student studying urban and regional planning, interned at real estate firm Spire Development, working with the company’s team to analyze the current state of the Central Ohio real estate market and predict future trends.

“I learned a lot about the real estate world,” he said. “I worked on the development side, I worked with property management, (did) a lot of accounting stuff, which is something I never thought about. (I exchanged) a lot of emails with all sorts of parts of the company. It was my first experience with a 9-to-5 job.”

Shannon Bradley, entrepreneurship and talent program coordinator at the Keenan Center, encouraged students to draw on their internship experiences as they enter the workforce.

“Every project you’ve worked on has a direct impact on the company,” she told the students. “I encourage you to tell that story to future employers. Make sure you show what you’ve done.”