Wilson College of Textiles Students Gain Industry Experience with Summer Internships

October 20, 2023 Maggie McCullough 29-min. read

$Alex Hutchens and fellow interns pose in front of a Madewell screen.$

This summer, Wilson College of Textiles students interned across the country, with internships at companies ranging from UL Solutions to The North Carolina Theatre to Nike.

Students gained invaluable industry experience, knowledge and skills, and were able to apply their knowledge from the classroom to create real-world solutions.

Continue reading to discover more about their experiences, or use the links below to explore program-specific internships you may be interested in.

B.S. FTM: Brand Management and Marketing
B.S. FTM: Fashion Development and Product Management
B.S. FTD: Fashion Design
B.S. FTD: Textile Design
B.S. Polymer and Color Chemistry
B.S. Textile Engineering
B.S. Textile Technology
Master of Textiles
M.S. Textile Engineering
Ph.D. Fiber and Polymer Science

Brand Management and Marketing (B.S. FTM)

Allie Daughtrey

Intended Graduation: May 2024
Employer: Altar’d State
Title: Merchandising Intern
Internship Location: Knoxville, TN

What were your day-to-day responsibilities?

I worked with the tops and sweaters department, where I was able to learn the ins and outs of the buying process and the everyday life of what it means to be a buyer at Altar’d State. I was also able to get firsthand experience working with vendors and seeing the products go from a concept to the sales floor.

We were given several projects in our two months working at Altar’d State, but our biggest project was a group project where we were assigned to reinvent “AS Revival,” Altar’d State’s athletic brand.

What did you learn about yourself and what professional skills did you develop?

I learned so much every single day, from what it means to work in the fashion industry to how much I love the process of buying. From this internship, I was able to recognize that buying/merchandising is what I want to do in my post-grad career, and it has made me very excited to go into the fashion industry and start my own path.

What was your favorite part of your time as an intern?

My favorite part of my internship was working with the head buyer and assistant buyers that I was working under in the tops/sweaters department.

They are people I now consider role models and mentors. They taught me so much in my short time as an intern and have given me so many tools and advice to be successful in the industry. They were so patient and taught me what it means to be a part of a team.

Meredith Gaskill

Intended Graduation: May 2024
Employer: Macy’s
Title: Buying Intern
Internship Location: New York, NY

What were your day-to-day responsibilities?

I did daily sales reporting and worked on various projects with my buying team! I did competitive research, trend analysis and Excel reporting in order to help my buyer with her tasks and strategies!

How did this experience impact your college plan/career trajectory? Do you still want to pursue the same types of jobs?

This experience gave me a lot of clarity on what type of job I want to look for within the fashion industry! It also showed me what it would be like to live in New York City before fully committing to a job there in the future!

Was there anything during your internship that surprised you?

I realized how interconnected everyone is in our industry and developed a network that I can keep in touch with moving forward! I learned a lot of our industry is about who you know, so I am going to keep networking and meeting people as I go!

Sarah Gruver

Intended Graduation: May 2024
Employer: Kohl’s
Title: Assistant Merchant Intern for Gifts and Impulse
Internship Location: Milwaukee, WI

What did you learn about yourself and what professional skills did you develop?

I learned that this is definitely the career path that I want to follow. Through projects, meetings, and presentations, I learned that I am more resilient than I give myself credit for. I learned how to communicate better in a professional setting and gained more presentation confidence.

What was your favorite part of your time as an intern?

My favorite part of my time as an intern was our team outing. Everyone at Kohl’s makes the interns feel extremely welcomed and important. My team specifically did not treat me as an intern but as if I was already on their team full-time. They allowed me to grow and learn however I felt that I needed to.

How do you think your time at the Wilson College helped prepare you for your internship?

The Wilson College fully prepared me for being professional, timely and willing to reach out to make connections throughout my summer. I had confidence in knowing what I was doing was useful and important.

My experience with class presentations from the Wilson College definitely helped me be extra prepared for my industry presentations. Also, a lot of FTM coursework allowed me to be ahead of some of my peers when doing some of the key functions of the job.

Allison Henry

Intended Graduation: May 2024
Employer: Dillard’s
Internship Location: Little Rock, AR

What were your day-to-day responsibilities?

We rotated weekly throughout different departments, so our days and weeks often looked very different. Some of the tasks my days usually included were checking sales, sitting in on vendor meetings and fit meetings, and working on assigned projects.

What was your favorite part of your time as an intern?

It’s hard to pick one favorite, but I loved getting to fly to Dallas with all of the other interns and MDPs (participants in the Merchant Development Program) for a few days. It was such a fun experience for us to travel together and then visit stores and the Cosmetics Buying Office.

We got to see one of Dillard’s biggest and most successful stores and speak directly with the team members on the sales floor that contribute to Dillard’s success. We also got to meet and learn from the team at the cosmetics office and have lunch with the vice presidentof cosmetics, who has spent many years working her way up at Dillard’s and had also previously worked for one of Dillard’s competitors. It was very fun to spend time with her to see the passion she has for the business and pick her brain!

Was there anything during your internship that surprised you?

One specific thing about Dillard’s that surprised me was that they own about 80% of their real estate. When we talked with Chris Johnson, the chief financial officer, we learned a lot about Dillard’s financial position and how they were able to survive through the coronavirus. Many of their competitors don’t own much of their real estate and were struggling to make rent during the coronavirus,, but that was one thing that really helped Dillard’s not to have to worry about.

I also just learned a lot about the industry as a whole in terms of how much goes into the process of developing one simple clothing item and the full process of making it from the initial design stage to the floor.

Alex Hutchens

Intended Graduation: May 2024
Employer: J. Crew Group, Madewell
Title: Merchandising Intern for Women’s Woven Shirts and Outerwear
Internship Location: New York, NY

What were your day-to-day responsibilities?

I collaborated with the assistant merchant for women’s woven shirts and outerwear throughout the assortment process for the spring 2024 by effectively assorting seasonally appropriate and trend-forward items for each month. I analyzed competitors’ current product assortments to gain insight into the assorting process for the spring and fall 2024 collections.

I partnered with the design and supply chain teams to present recommendations based on financial insight and previous sales data regarding fabrics, fit and colorways. I worked alongside the planning and allocation teams to effectively distribute merchandise for the spring months based on the season’s sales, prevalent trends and target consumer behavior. I also completed an internship project that sought to gain influence among Generation Z customers while retaining the trust of Madewell’s current consumer base through a collegiate-inspired capsule collection

What did you learn about yourself and what professional skills did you develop?

Throughout this internship, I worked collaboratively with the design, supply chain, planning and allocation teams while simultaneously being immersed in the role of a merchant. I gained skills relating to time management, collaboration and organization.

What was your favorite part of your time as an intern?

My favorite part of this internship was meeting the CEO of J.Crew Group, Libby Waddle. She discussed her experience in the fashion industry thus far and provided great advice for students who would soon be looking for jobs within the industry.

Malia Marshall

Intended Graduation: May 2025
Employer: Hill and Co. Creative
Title: Event Planning Intern
Internship Location: Charleston, SC

What did you learn about yourself and what professional skills did you develop?

Understanding how you work under pressure oftentimes helps you a lot when deciding what kind of career and job you want in the future.

I also figured out that I enjoy the creative side just as much as the logistical side, which made me realize I really want to find a job where I can do both at the same time. When planning an important event, such as a wedding, especially at the magnitude that we were, both of those things play a huge part.

What was your favorite part of your time as an intern?

Working a wedding at the house the tv show “Outer Banks” used for the character Sarah Cameron!

How do you think your time at the Wilson College helped prepare you for your internship?

Because FTM focuses on both fashion and textiles, it’s easy to fluctuate between interiors, textiles, and fashion. So, while I felt that I had much more experience in fashion than interior design, I was able to use all the things I had learned and apply them to my work.

Maggie McCullough

Intended Graduation: May 2024
Employer: Kohl’s
Title: Marketing Strategy Intern
Internship Location: Milwaukee, WI

What were your day-to-day responsibilities?

Most of my day was spent in meetings with my team, where we planned the content strategy for the Kohl’s homepage on their website and mobile app, as well as the Kohl’s coupons page. I got to help with this planning process from conception to final creative. I also worked on competitive analysis research throughout the summer that I was able to present to my team as well as other cross-functional teams.

What was your favorite part of your time as an intern?

My favorite part of my time as an intern was getting to learn in a hands-on environment where I could see the impact that my work was having. One of my favorite parts of my role was getting to be a part of the planning process and then see my team’s ideas come to life on the website and mobile app.

How do you think your time at the Wilson College helped prepare you for your internship?

I had taken multiple courses at Wilson College prior to my internship where I had the opportunity to build and develop marketing plans. This experience made me far more comfortable when I was actually working on similar projects during my internship.

Additionally, I found that I was already familiar with a lot of the processes, terminology and competitive landscape that I needed to know when working in marketing strategy.

Jenna Segmiller

Intended Graduation: May 2024
Employer: Belk
Title: Buying Intern
Internship Location: Charlotte, NC

What were your day-to-day responsibilities?

My daily responsibilities included helping with the Monday reporting, creating and maintaining purchase orders and attending marketing meetings.

I worked on two projects during my internship. One was an individual project where I created a hindsight for the quarter two suits and the Limited department. This project was useful for my buying office because we analyzed what sold well for us the previous year and where we could improve the buys for the next year. I also worked on a group project with the other interns. We looked at Belk’s HR benefits and how they compared to their competitors. We made suggestions on how Belk could improve their HR benefits to appeal to Generation Z.

What did you learn about yourself and what professional skills did you develop?

Through this internship, I was able to learn and grow in my ability to adapt and react to change. The retail industry is always changing, but this was the first time I had gotten real exposure to handling these changes. I learned problem solving skills and how to adapt in the fast paced environment.

I also developed numerous professional skills. Every other week, I completed a LinkedIn course in professional speaking, time management, collaborating with peers and problem solving. These courses were really helpful and I was able to apply a lot of these skills during my internship.

How do you think your time at the Wilson College helped prepare you for your internship?

My time at the Wilson College helped me prepare for my internship in numerous ways. I used a lot of what I learned in FTM 420: Retail Math. Since I had already taken a retail math course, I had a head start when my internship class started taking our own retail math classes.

In addition to classwork, participating in the Blend Mentorship Program helped prepare me for my internship. My mentor had given me great advice for starting my first experience in the corporate world.

Kendall Wisniewski

Intended Graduation: May 2024
Employer: Ross Stores
Title: Assistant Buying Intern, Blankets and Throws
Internship Location: New York, NY

What were your day-to-day responsibilities?

My day-to-day consisted of pulling sales and performance reports and item and purchase order information to accommodate business needs. Each week we also got to attend several vendor meetings all over the city! The intern project consisted of presenting a new business strategy and suggestions to upper management based on what we had learned.

How do you think your time at the Wilson College helped prepare you for your internship?

Taking technical classes such as TMS211 and TT252 helped me understand fabric and fibers on a deeper level, which allowed me to have more well-rounded knowledge of the products I worked with during my internship. I was able to participate in meetings more because of the knowledge I gained from these courses!

Day to day, I also utilized many of the concepts I learned in FTM420 when pulling reports. Overall, all of my FTM courses aided in my knowledge of the industry!

Was there anything during your internship that surprised you?

The one thing that surprised me was how technical it was. I anticipated looking at various designs and products but wasn’t expecting at all to be discussing products on a fiber level; there was a strong mix of analytical, technical and creative aspects.

Fashion Development and Product Management (B.S. FTM)

Catey Cox

Intended Graduation: May 2024
Employer: Reebok International
Title: Product Management Intern: Performance Footwear
Internship Location: Boston, MA

What were your day-to-day responsibilities?

My day to day responsibilities within the company included meeting with my manager, attending meetings for the performance footwear team, understanding design reviews and processes, and working on a few projects.

My projects were to organize a strategy focused on a potential sub-brand, develop an understanding of the product journey from concept to consumer and research U.S. trends by region.

What did you learn about yourself and what professional skills did you develop?

I learned about thoughtful leadership and that a great mentor can easily make any subject interesting. I further developed my public speaking skills and developed as a collaborator.

Was there anything during your internship that surprised you?

I was surprised at the role of a product manager. I did not know they serve as professional middlemen. They must understand the financial, material and design needs of the business in order to make a decision.

Melis Hafizoglu

Intended Graduation: May 2024
Employer: American Eagle
Title: Women’s Production Intern
Internship Location: New York, NY

What were your day-to-day responsibilities?

The production team works as a liaison between a lot of different teams — merchandising, design, international, fabric — so day to day, I usually attended a lot of cross-functional meetings. I also regularly communicated with overseas vendors to track incoming samples and approvals.

I worked on a couple of special projects that taught me a lot. I put together a fabric library of all the fabric we were using for back to school 2023 and summer 2024 for two different categories in American Eagle (AE). I created a licensing approval matrix and got AE’s factories approved with different licenses they use in their collections (“The Summer I Turned Pretty,” Snoopy, Rolling Stones, etc.). I also worked on a competitive shopping analysis to compare AE to our competitors and see how we were performing/where we could improve, which I got to present to two of the AE Women’s teams.

What was your favorite part of your time as an intern?

I got to shadow a couple of different teams while I was at AE, which was super fun. I shadowed the fabric lead of AE Women’s, and she took me to Texworld, a tradeshow where we got to meet some of the factories AE works with. I also got to shadow design and go to a showroom in the Empire State Building with them which was a lot of fun!

How do you think your time at the Wilson College helped prepare you for your internship?

The classes I’ve been taking throughout my time here helped me feel really prepared for this role. Shadowing the fabric team was cool because I got to see real-life applications of the math we were doing in our fiber science classes, and I felt like I had a better understanding of their role. I’m currently taking Retail Buying in Fashion (FTM 416) and it’s exactly what I spent my summer learning about.

Emerson Huffman

Intended Graduation: May 2024
Employer: Carters Inc.
Title: Apparel Design Intern for OshKosh B’Gosh for Baby B’Gosh and Boys and Girls Playwear
Internship Location: Atlanta, GA

What were your day-to-day responsibilities?

Each day was something new! I primarily worked on getting design cards ready to send to manufacturers overseas for the summer 2024 collections. I attended meetings and made adjustments to the designs as cross-functional decisions were made. I also helped with back to school 2024 and fall 2024 trend research and presented that information in meetings to cross-functional teams.

What was your favorite part of your time as an intern?

I really loved the people I got to work with, form relationships with and learn from. I also LOVED how my boss was a senior designer for Boys Play Wear. She would teach me how she was designing for boys, and then I would get to apply what I learned for Girls Play Wear and Baby B’Gosh.

My absolute favorite was getting to design a garment for boy toddlers that will be in stores summer 2024.

Was there anything during your internship that surprised you?

I have fallen in love with designing for kids. It’s so different from other demographics because when you design children’s clothing you design for two customers, not just one. First, and most importantly, you design for the child because they have to be comfortable wearing the clothing and want to wear the clothing. Secondly, you design for the parent. The parent has to like the product enough to buy it, want to see their child wearing it and think that their child will like it too.

Lexi Langevin

Intended Graduation: May 2024
Employer: Fanatics
Title: NHL and NBA Merchandising Intern
Internship Location: Jacksonville, FL

How do you think your time at the Wilson College helped prepare you for your internship?

I felt very technically informed and was able to help make good decisions about products based on fiber content, feel, and dyeing methods. Many people at the company have a different background (marketing, business, management, etc).

How did this experience impact your college/career plan trajectory?

This internship made me confident in my decision to be in a creative role. I absolutely love the company, but I realized I want to be more hands-on in the production process.

Was there anything during your internship that surprised you?

I didn’t realize just how different each league’s fashion is. Some leagues had multiple buyers, and others just had one, but they would all be buying completely different products.

Jada Williams

Intended Graduation: May 2024
Employer: The North Carolina Theatre
Title: Costume Design and Dressing Intern
Internship Location: Raleigh, NC

What were your day-to-day responsibilities?

I pulled, styled and labeled cast member’s costumes according to their role and correct sizes, assisted in fittings and prepping costumes for cast members to try on, painted character shoes and did any other alterations that needed to be done to the costume pieces. During the show, I helped the lead and secondary principal characters in and out of their costumes for quick changes. I also preset, steamed and cleaned costumes and helped with any wardrobe malfunctions.

What did you learn about yourself and what professional skills did you develop?

From this internship, I learned that I work really well in fast paced environments– which is a good thing because of how fast the fashion industry typically moves. I have plans to go into costume design when I graduate, so it was nice to get experience in the field and see how fast it moves.

Some professional skills I developed were working with star actors and actresses. I also learned project management and how to make sure that all the costumes and garments were labeled, organized and ready to go by the time we moved locations to the theatre for show week.

What was your favorite part of your time as an intern?

My favorite part of my time as an intern was getting the opportunity to watch the entire play all the way through. Working as a costume design intern and dresser, you don’t really get to see the play since you are working backstage the entire show and helping the actors get into their costumes. Getting the opportunity to see the run before opening night was amazing.

Fashion Design (B.S. FTD)

Lilly Barozzini

Intended Graduation: May 2024
Employer: Abercrombie & Fitch Co.
Title: Apparel Design Intern for Gilly Hicks Sports Bras, Onesies and Dresses
Internship Location: Columbus, OH

What were your day-to-day responsibilities?

Day to day, I attended meetings such as fits, sourcing meetings, team meetings and meetings with our merchants. I completed tasks such as sketches, research, trend projects, competitive shopping and worked in an assortment management tool. I supported my team in any way needed.

I additionally had an intern project where I focused on a opportunities in the summer 2024 sports bras assortment. I created a presentation about who our customer is, did a mini creative direction or mood board, went through trends for next summer, went through what our girl is wearing now and what girls on social media are wearing, and then designed three garments that I felt would add to our assortment. I got to present my ideas to the head designer of Gilly Hicks and the head designer of Hollister.

What did you learn about yourself and what professional skills did you develop?

I learned a lot about how far the skills I have learned at Wilson College of Textiles will take me. Additionally, I learned to embrace learning and growing each and every day. No day ever looked exactly the same, and I was learning new things every single day. I learned to love change and constant movement and shifting of ideas and concepts. I also got to collaborate and learn about so many aspects of the industry and how many people and steps it takes to bring one singular garment to the customer.

I strengthened my skills in Adobe Illustrator and InDesign, I grew skills in how designers collaborate with merchants, got exposed to technical packs, learned about sportswear and impact materials, and I grew personally so much as well. I learned that I love collaborating and coming to work knowing that there is one team with one dream. I loved seeing everyone work together and learned to really love who our customer is and remember to keep our Gilly girl at the center of all decisions being made.

How did this experience impact your college plan/career trajectory? Do you still want to pursue the same types of jobs?

I learned that starting as an assistant apparel designer at a larger company allows you to see how the industry runs on a mass scale. It made me see how impactful a job like this would be in my career and how many incredible connections I could create starting in this role. I would ideally love to start my career as an assistant apparel designer.

Olivia Jurney

Intended Graduation: May 2027
Employer: Dry Fly Insights
Title: Apparel Concept Design Intern
Internship Location: Remote

What were your day-to-day responsibilities?

I conducted market trend research across multiple headwear categories, compiled sustainable textile research and other research findings into presentations to share with our client, and created concept sketches for potential designs.

What did you learn about yourself and what professional skills did you develop?

I learned that I am capable of effectively communicating with employers, team members, and clients and that I can present research in a concise and impactful way.

Was there anything during your internship that surprised you?

I realized the manufacturing process is quite meticulous, but finding the right fit for a product is achievable through consistent research.

Bee Mangine

Intended Graduation: May 2025
Employer: Arts NC State
Title: Arts Ambassador
Internship Location: Raleigh, NC

What were your day-to-day responsibilities?

My day-to-day responsibilities included working at orientation for new students and informing them about the arts opportunities on NC State’s campus. I also worked in the Arts Suite, assisting the many wonderful people who work full time for Arts NC State. I was invited to continue the internship into the school year, where I will be wrapping up my final art project in conjunction with the GLBT Center of NC State.

What was your favorite part of your time as an intern?

I really enjoyed working with different artists and learning what processes are involved with being an arts administrator.

Was there anything during your internship that surprised you?

I was quite surprised with how much I was able to make artistic decisions during my internship. I did not realize how much art administration allows you to make art and artistic decisions in addition to supporting other artists.

Mark Saber

Intended Graduation: May 2025
Employer: Capitol (luxury clothing boutique)
Title: Operations Intern
Internship Location: Charlotte, NC

What did you learn about yourself and what professional skills did you develop?

I learned how much I enjoy the high-end fashion industry, dealing with labels that work directly with clientele and watching the seasons’ newest fashion trends hit the sales floor. I developed skills working with Lightspeed E-commerce, the successful functioning of a luxury fashion boutique, merchandising and the process of dealing with important clientele.

How did this experience impact your college plan/trajectory? Do you still want to pursue the same types of jobs?

I have always wanted to pursue a field in the luxury fashion industry and this internship helped me realize how much I love this field. It showed me how an exclusive/smaller designer brand can get its products to consumers through boutiques and personal client relationships as opposed to a larger company that focuses on getting products to as many consumers as cheaply as possible. I want to continue to pursue this industry, but more so from the designer standpoint, selling unique pieces to clientele and boutiques like Capitol. I learned that I enjoy creating exclusive, high quality designs that are unique and appeal to the luxury fashion consumer.

Was there anything during your internship that surprised you?

I realized how prestigious the luxury fashion industry can be and how many people are willing to pay top dollar for products that maybe no different than one you could find for 1/10th of the price at the shopping mall. It was also a realization of how dedicated people are to fashion and to delivering products from the runways in New York and Paris straight to the client.

Textile Design (B.S. FTD)

Tessa Dionne

Intended Graduation: May 2025
Employer: Springs Creative Products Group
Title: Textile Design Intern
Internship Location: Rock Hill, SC

What were your day-to-day responsibilities?

I did multiple different things while at Springs Creative to get a better sense of the entire industry. The majority of the time I worked with the entertainment license designer to create fabrics for JoAnn, Hobby Lobby and Walmart. This meant taking designs created by Disney, Hasbro, Universal, etc. and using them to create repeat patterns in Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. I did lots of Frozen 2, Cinderella, Villains and Mickey Mouse designs!

I worked with this for about a month-and-a-half and the other half of the month was directed towards the home decorand archive side. Here I would go through the archives to find inspiration for interior designers or clients, and then clean them up and modify them on Photoshop so that the home decor designers could recreate and recolor them to be used for pillows or other interior textiles.

What did you learn about yourself and what professional skills did you develop?

Springs Creative was the most welcoming and ideal work environment because everyone helped each other and wanted you to succeed. I learned that I actually love working on all of the tedious tasks in Photoshop for one day rather than doing a bunch of projects because I could put my AirPods in and concentrate on the smallest of details like removing a background manually or redrawing a damask pattern.

That being said, I had never really used Photoshop before, so it was all a learning process this summer! The designers were so helpful with teaching me all of the tools and tricks and I am extremely grateful to be very confident in my Photoshop abilities now.

I also learned how to work on a professional team rather than as a single designer like we do in classes here, and I think that is such an important aspect of the industry to have experience in. I was able to sit in on meetings, give my opinion, and take feedback myself, and I think it truly helped me grow as a designer.

How do you think your time at the Wilson College helped prepare you for your internship?

My classes at Wilson were an amazing setup for what I worked with at my internship. Though I used different software, the general idea of creating repeat patterns and designing my own motifs or color palettes is exactly what I have been doing in my studio courses since my first year. I was able to apply my knowledge of sizing and scaling and the types of fabric I was working on to make my repeats, and I think it helped so much having that background knowledge.

Alyson Zeller

Intended Graduation: May 2026
Employer: Issac Mizrahi Live
Title: Intern
Internship Location: New York, NY

What were your day-to-day responsibilities?

I worked on the celebrity collaboration with Selma Blair. I also worked on color swatches for upcoming collectionsand making mood boards for their fall 2024 collection.

What did you learn about yourself and what professional skills did you develop?

I learned how much I love textile design

What was your favorite part of your time as an intern?

My favorite part was working with all the color swatches and fabric samples.

Polymer and Color Chemistry (B.S. PCC)

Sophie Frain

Intended Graduation: May 2024
Employer: Eastman Chemical Company – Plastics Technology Division
Title: Technology Intern
Internship Location: Kingsport, TN

What were your day-to-day responsibilities?

I executed a study on changing the parameters of an additive in a specialty plastic. Every day looked a little different, but conducting background research, going out onto the floor to watch my materials be compounded/molded, and completing different mechanical and thermal properties testing were key elements of my project.

What did you learn about yourself and what professional skills did you develop?

Just say it! This internship helped me get more comfortable with asking tough questions and expressing opinions/issues. I regularly bounced ideas off of my mentor who would suggest a few others to talk to about the issue. I had a question that got emailed around to probably about 10 different individuals, but it allowed me to gain a lot of perspective not just on the project, but on the research process. You might not think that you bring a knowledgeable perspective as an intern, but you might see a different perspective on what has been thought of as a fact.

How do you think your time at the Wilson College helped prepare you for your internship?

Although I was interning in specialty plastics, the research skills I learned working in the Zeis Textile Extension Dyeing and Finishing Lab were totally transferrable. Having some experience in a customer facing area of the college helped because that’s what research in industry is built around.

I learned about different types of tests in my classes and got to see how they work in practice this summer. Part of my project this summer required using ImageJ, which was something I learned to use in TMS 211 and didn’t realize was a prevalent industry tool!

Textile Engineering (B.S. TE)

Rosie Fisher

Intended Graduation: May 2024
Employer: Standard Textile
Title: Engineering Intern
Internship Location: Union, SC

What were your day-to-day responsibilities?

I created a new downtime reporting system for the entire cut and sew department with Visual Basic Applications (VBA) automation to improve usability for operators and trained all the operators on the new system. I also automated the import and reporting for all downtime data collected. For the first few weeks of my internship, I presented the downtime data at daily production meetings.

I also created new Excel workbooks to calculate and report daily, weekly and monthly sheeting department production and terry department chemical usage. Additionally, I tracked downtime and quality on new machinery in the sheeting department and worked with the engineering team to decrease defects and downtime.

What did you learn about yourself and what professional skills did you develop?

I learned a lot about manufacturing this summer. I’d never even stepped foot in a manufacturing plant before, and by the end of the summer, I was confidently working with the operators, maintenance team, and engineering team and was able to make a positive impact with the projects I worked on.

How do you think your time at the Wilson College helped prepare you for your internship?

I used the skills I learned in my Computer Based Modeling for Engineers and Lean Six Sigma classes almost every day and even taught a VBA workshop for the engineering team. The classes I had taken in TE really prepared me with the background knowledge I needed to be successful.

Brigitte Gallagher

Intended Graduation: May 2024
Employer: Cortland Biomedical
Title: Engineering Intern
Internship Location: Cortland, NY

What were your day-to-day responsibilities?

I was responsible for three main projects. I got to carry out an equipment installation/operation qualification on two high-density braiders and on in-house designed production equipment. The next project I had was more what I did day to day, where I gathered and analyzed data on braids to find trends and correlations. I also got to learn about how braids are made and the production process through this project.

My last project was observing visual defects in a woven product and determining the effect of decreasing the weaving speed on the rate of defects and the defect types. My day-to-day responsibilities were to complete testing on products, which was usually done in a clean room, and analyze data.

What was your favorite part of your time as an intern?

I loved getting to learn about the different machinery and production processes.

How do you think your time at the Wilson College helped prepare you for your internship?

My time at the Wilson College prepared me because it taught me about technical skills and information. For example: how yarns of different materials are made, the fabrication of polymer based yarns, and the fabrication of fabrics using knitting and weaving machines. The college also taught me how to learn from others’ experience and think through problems critically and creatively.

Textile Technology (B.S. TT)

Peighton Jones

Intended Graduation: May 2024
Employer: Victoria’s Secret
Title: Textile Lab Intern
Internship Location: Columbus, OH

What were your day-to-day responsibilities?

My project was to review and modify current bra fit and comfort testing. Some tasks involved reviewing wear test data, meeting with store fit experts, analyzing and problem solving current concerns, and of course, testing bras.

How do you think your time at the Wilson College helped prepare you for your internship?

I used everything I learned in my performance evaluation class with Dr. DenHartog about physical testing. The Wilson College also helped me prepare by teaching me to ask lots of questions.

How did this experience impact your college plan/career trajectory?

This experience showed me my passion lies in creating material and product test methods.

Master of Textiles

Mary Nease

Intended Graduation: May 2024
Employer: Kontoor Brands, Inc.
Title: Denim Aesthetic Development Intern
Internship Location: Greensboro, NC

What were your day-to-day responsibilities?

I got to learn how to apply different technologies used in denim development, ranging from chemical laundry processes to create different washes, Jeanologia lasers used for distressing and surface design, industrial embroidery machines and more! I got to use what I learned to design and make different denim products, and I also workedon a larger group project that was presented to the whole company. My group analyzed the current product offering and gave feedback and suggestions for changes/improvements.

What was your favorite part of your time as an intern?

Making so many things! I love to learn and it was the coolest thing for me to be able to be so hands-on with denim development and immediately apply what I learned to a tangible product.

Was there anything in your internship that surprised you?

I tell people all the time that fashion is a STEM field, and that is so very true when it comes to modern denim. A pair of jeans goes through a number of technical and chemical processes from being made from raw, rigid denim to being a soft and wearable product sold in a store.

M.S Textile Engineering

Steven Key

Intended Graduation: May 2024
Employer: UL Solutions
Title: PPE Engineering Intern
Internship Location: Raleigh, NC

What did you learn about yourself and what professional skills did you develop?

I learned how to better manage my time because I had many different tasks to complete during my internship. I also gained great communication skills because I had to interact with so many different people at UL Solutions.

What was your favorite part of your time as an intern?

My favorite part was getting to end the internship at UL Solutions’ headquarters in Chicago. It was really interesting to see all of the testing that they do there and I got to meet all of the other interns that worked out of Chicago.

Was there anything during your internship that surprised you?

I was shocked to see all of the testing that UL does in Research Triangle Park. There is so much stuff that I would never think about that needs to be tested.

Connie Wong

Intended Graduation: May 2024
Employer: Nike
Title: Product Supply Chain Engineer Intern
Internship Location: Beaverton, OR

What were your day-to-day responsibilities?

My day-to-day responsibilities included working on my intern project, attending intern programming events, and touching base with my manager, peer coach and mentor.

In addition to these responsibilities, I participated in Nike’s Annual Intern Combine, which is a one-week stretch (or ‘hackathon’) where interns from different functions work together to address a prompt. 22 teams consisting of eight to nine interns competed, and my team was selected as the overall winner!

What did you learn about yourself and what professional skills did you develop?

From this internship, I learned what attributes I am looking for in a job post-graduation. Some professional skills I further developed were teamwork, critical thinking, adaptability and storytelling when presenting.

What was your favorite part of your time as an intern?

Having one-on-ones with other employees! Over the summer, I had 30+ one-on-ones with people on different teams. A good portion of them were Wilson alums. From these chats, I got to learn about the different positions and opportunities offered at Nike.

Ph.D. Fiber and Polymer Science

Kiryaman Didem

Intended Graduation: May 2024
Employer: Henkel
Title: Textile Performance Scientist Intern
Internship Location: Trumbull, CT

What were your day-to-day responsibilities?

I assisted Henkel’s method and capability development team in investigating the formation and causation of laundry pills. In my project, I developed a novel approach to generate laundry pilling and fuzzing using an accelerated laboratory methodology which decreased efforts by 80%.

What did you learn about yourself and what professional skills did you develop?

Throughout my internship, I developed a pivotal skill – the art of translating my academic expertise into real-world solutions that resonate with consumers. My deep understanding of textile behavior empowered me to pinpoint the core issues and devise practical remedies.

Beyond that, I also made substantial advancements in time management and communication – two essential skills for excelling in a fast-paced work environment. By fostering clear communication channels with my manager, I navigated task priorities with finesse. This allowed me to expertly plan and structure my time, ensuring the timely completion of assignments even under tight deadlines.

How do you think your time at the Wilson College helped prepare you for your internship?

Working on various projects at the Wilson College allowed me to apply the academic knowledge I had gained to address complex issues. These experiences were instrumental in fostering the development of my critical thinking, time management and communication skills, while also enhancing my adaptability. As a result, I was ready for this internship with a strong foundation and the confidence needed to address real-world challenges effectively.

Hajara Babayo

Intended Graduation: May 2024
Employer: Ajalabs
Title: Graduate Research Intern
Internship Location: Raleigh, NC

What were your day-to-day responsibilities?

My main responsibility was to create top-notch formulations for the synthetic hair extension product of the company. I conducted thorough research and optimization to guarantee that the product fulfills the required standards for developmental trials. Moreover, I assisted the team by drafting comprehensive documentation such as experiment designs, product specifications and storage conditions of both the product and raw materials.

What was your favorite part of your time as an intern?

One of the most fulfilling aspects of my internship was when my contributions were acknowledged and subsequently integrated into the team’s workflow. Additionally, team lunches provided an opportunity for me to gain a deeper understanding of my colleagues on an individual level, facilitating more effective collaboration and fostering stronger professional relationships.

How do you think your time at the Wilson College helped prepare you for your internship?

Honestly, the Wilson College played a significant role in shaping my present self. Thanks to the incredible Ford Innovation Team led by Dr. Ford, I gained invaluable knowledge and skills that helped me develop my interests and advance in my career. I am proud to say that my time at the Wilson College was a turning point in my professional growth.

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