Grace is a second-year FANPP student and spent her summer as a Supplier Responsibility and Sustainability Intern with Thermo Fisher Scientific. Read on to learn more about her experience!
In just a few sentences, please tell us about your summer internship. How does it connect to your personal and professional interests?
This summer, I interned with Thermo Fisher Scientific, a biotechnology company focused on creating a healthier, cleaner, and safer world. In my role as Supplier Responsibility and Sustainability Intern, I revitalized the internal supplier responsibility and sustainability website, developed AI solutions to human rights due diligence challenges, and fostered Thermo Fisher’s engagement in the broader community through farm work community service and by facilitating partnerships with local nonprofit organizations. This opportunity strengthened my skills in corporate application of sustainability policy and leading projects with cross-functional, multi-stakeholder teams. It fostered my interest in AI solutions and human rights due diligence. Moving forward, I hope to continue developing sustainability solutions while incorporating these blossoming passions in AI and human rights due diligence.
How did you land your internship?
I believe opportunity is found at the crossroads of persistence and timing. I landed my internship a year after connecting with a leader at Thermo Fisher and meeting for coffee. After the first coffee chat, I continued to reach out to this connection regarding new opportunities and also met with other colleagues from TFS. After demonstrating engagement and expressing my interest in the company, a member of the sustainability team contacted me in September 2023, encouraging me to apply for the 2024 spring internship program.
What did you enjoy about your internship? What did you find challenging?
My internship exposed me to several new areas of sustainability, including human rights due diligence. It offered opportunities for community engagement and “managing up”. I felt valued in my role, despite being an intern, thanks to wonderful leadership.
The most challenging aspect of my internship included the independence expected in my role and the novelty of my projects, particularly in creating AI solutions. For many of my projects, I was working in new territory alongside others, and there was no “expert” to ask for advice. Though difficult, this provided an incredible opportunity for growth.
What are the necessary soft and hard skills needed for this position?
Soft skills for this position include public speaking, time management, communication, and curiosity. Valuable hard skills include a knowledge of Microsoft Suite, understanding of the current national and global sustainability regulations and reporting frameworks, as well as knowledge of supply chain management tools, such as EcoVadis. However, and most importantly, Thermo Fisher invests their time and education in individuals with a strong work ethic and curiosity.
If you could offer one piece of internship search advice to your peers, what would it be?
Reach out to anyone and everyone who has a career path of interest to you. It does not matter if your response rate is 1%, because job opportunities are created through connections more than anything else.
