On the Job: Students Detail Their 9-to-5s

From TikTok to the Hershey Company, Johnson & Johnson to the Montgomery County Detectives Bureau, Saint Joseph's University students are putting their classroom skills to the test while honing their interests and resumes.

Policy in Action

Aidan Murray, BA ’26, a double major in public policy and economics, is spending 12 weeks in Washington, D.C., as a policy intern with The Council of State Governments. In this role, he contributes to budget analysis and policy research, helping to inform state legislators on critical topics ranging from housing to healthcare. The analytical and research skills he’s developed at St. Joe’s have proven essential in navigating this fast-paced, multidisciplinary environment just five minutes from the United States Capitol.

1. My “I nailed it” moment: Coming to a meeting prepared with an economic analysis and policy recommendations to contribute to the conversation. Part of growing as a professional is anticipating the needs of your colleagues and the mission of your organization – I felt like I was able to add value and productively support others in that moment.
2. It’s 10 a.m. on a workday, what are you up to? Likely in collaboration with my co-intern, crafting a comprehensive report analyzing how federal policy will ripple through the 56 states and territories.
3. Any interesting collaborations? I ran into U.S. Senator Susan Collins one day, and just 24 hours later, I was analyzing the House budget proposal that her committee published. It was a fun, distinctly Washington, D.C., moment!
4. Go-to snack or drink that gets you through the day: BBQ chips and an iced-tea!

Read Murray's full interview.

Jam-Packed Experience

Food marketing major Jacob MacPherson, BS ‘26, spent 12 weeks of his summer at The J.M. Smucker Company. While Smucker may be more well known for their sweeter, human-focused products, MacPherson had the unique opportunity to work on projects for the company’s pet brands during his marketing innovation internship. The food marketing co-op student's hands-on work with the marketing and research-development teams included the opportunity to present his summer anchor project to the entire company in the Smucker auditorium. 

1. My “I nailed it” moment: When I presented my summer anchor project to not only my department but also the whole Smucker company in the company's auditorium. My manager was there, along with higher-level executives, including the CEO, Mark Smucker. I presented for 20 minutes and then did a Q&A, talking about some of the ideas I proposed to help the company in the future.
2. Cool project: My project over the summer was analyzing trends for the Pup-Peroni brand and giving recommendations for the brand to improve on pure play ecommerce (Amazon and Chewy.com).
3. Favorite part of your role: Being able to experience brand and marketing innovation meetings, working on a long-term project that the department will use in the future, and meeting new professionals in the industry I have a passion for.
4. Go-to snack or drink that gets you through the day: Smucker is known for Uncrustables, so the go-to snack that got me through the day was the new raspberry flavor. And, I always enjoy an iced coffee from Dunkin’ (French vanilla)! 

Read MacPherson's full interview.

Scrolls and Goals

What’s the next hot trend? There’s a good chance food marketing major and co-op student Eshika Attri, BS ’26, has the answer — at least when it comes to e-commerce. Over her 12 weeks at TikTok headquarters in Seattle, she worked as a category-management campaign intern for TikTok Shop, focusing on the execution of various e-commerce campaigns to deliver a better experience for the app’s billions of users.

1. My “I nailed it” moment: When one of the sellers I worked with went viral overnight. That was a total “whoa” moment and also a realization that the TikTok Shop has so much potential in e-commerce. I feel like traditionally, people think of TikTok and might not think it’s legitimate, but in reality, we do a lot of the same things as Amazon. There’s just more of that social content aspect of it, and it’s exciting to see consumers picking up on that.
2. The Day-to-Day: Every single day, there's a new problem that needs to be solved. There’s a new seller who needs support or a new content creator who’s looking for a certain shop that we can connect them with. Even just given the state of TikTok and what the future of the app is in the U.S., things are constantly changing.
3. Tips for the next intern: Be creative. There isn’t a playbook to success. And have fun with it. TikTok is a fun platform, and not only do we leverage trends, we create trends. Predicting what consumers want will be incredibly important on your path to success at the company.
4. Go-to snack or drink that gets you through the day: Seattle is big on matcha, so that’s my go-to drink. And on Fridays we have “tea time” where we have boba tea delivered to the office. I get the taro boba. 
    

Read Attri's full interview.

Want to meet more Hawks On the Job? Head over to our series landing page to meet the students making an impact on their industries.