2026 Summer InTERPship Recap
Brady Ruth, Staff Writer
8/4/2026
Summer time is often seen as a break for student-athletes, but 39 Terps used the summer months as an opportunity to work toward their futures as a part of Maryland Made’s InTERPship program.
During its 11th year helping student-athletes prepare for life after college, the InTERPship program provided 39 eight-week internships to Maryland student-athletes from over a dozen different Terrapin teams.
“It’s amazing to witness the growth of our students over their eight-week internships. I'm beyond appreciative of our external partners that commit to the growth and development of our student-athletes. To see our students understand themselves in ways that they initially did not is one of the most beautiful parts of the role within Maryland Made. We are developing future engineers, data analysts, public relation specials, athletic administrators, medical device sales representatives, lawyers and more! To know that their career journey started within Maryland Made’s InTERPship Academy program is a privilege.”Maryland Made's Daeze Alaeze-Garbo
The internships — and overall program — served as not only a networking opportunity for student-athletes, but also a platform for outgoing seniors, such as baseball’s Aden Hill, to showcase their skills to the workforce.
Before his inTERPship, Hill said he believed that “I was behind because I was graduating and had never worked an internship before, it was going to be really hard to find an internship, and that all entry-level positions were miserable.”
After completing his inTERPship, Hill was rejuvenated with excitement for his future, now knowing that “With all the connections and resources available through UMD Athletics, there is nothing to worry about, entry level positions give you the opportunity to find out what you do and don’t like, and every failure or job opportunity you don’t like is a step closer to finding that which you do.”
Gymnast Madeline Gershuny used the summer to learn more about the type of workplaces she prefers. In a rapid-fire question and answer, she relayed the following preferences:
- In-person, hybrid, or remote: Hybrid
- Early mornings or flexible schedule: Flexible Schedule
- Structured tasks or figuring it out as you go: Structured Tasks
- Collaborating with others or working independently: Collaborating With Others
- Presenting ideas or working behind the scenes: Presenting Ideas
- Biggest confidence boost: Receiving positive feedback
- One skill you used more than you expected: One skill I used more than I expected was analyzing social media data and actually understanding what all the numbers meant. At first, I thought I would mainly be creating content, but I ended up spending a lot of time looking at engagement, views, reach, and website performance. It helped me learn how to turn data into clear takeaways and use the analytics to figure out what content was working and what could be improved.
- One workplace habit you're taking back to campus: One workplace habit I’m taking back to campus is organizing everything before starting the final project. During my internship, I kept each week's data on separate Excel tabs and made sure everything was clear before creating the Google Slides. It made the whole process easier and this organization is something I’ll use for class projects too.
- One thing you'll miss most: One thing I’ll miss most is talking with Kristin, my supervisor, and getting to build such a genuine connection with her throughout the internship. I’ll also miss being able to help the team in any way I could and create things that will continue to support the company and its future growth.
- One word that describes your summer: Growth
Maryland wrestler Nathan Perry spent his summer with Aerothreads, a specialized provider of Multi-Layer Insulation (MLI) blanket products and critical support services to the aerospace industry.
“One moment I'll never forget from my internship is fabricating multi-layer insulation (MLI) brochure samples,” Perry said. “It was the first time I've ever folded, cut, stapled, and taped multi-layer insulation blanket materials which was really cool. It grew my respect for our fabricators incredibly. What they do is impressive and being able to try it out was a ton of fun.”
“Being confused is expected, especially when you're in a new professional environment as an intern. It's most important how you respond to being confused. Obviously, make sure you're asking questions but also put yourself in position (physically) to learn. Always walk around and interact with others, figure out what they enjoy and excel at, then learn from them organically. Odds are, they'll enjoy talking about what they love and tell you anyway without asking.”Nathan Perry
After her summer AIDAR Health, with Track and field star Victoria Teasley reflected on her inTERPship and composed a letter to next year’s cohort:
“Being out of your comfort zone can be scary sometimes, but it is so important if you want to grow. So, to the next cohort, don’t be afraid of being in an unfamiliar place. Don’t be quick to say ‘no’ because it isn’t what you're used to. Instead, say ‘yes’ to allow yourself to expand your horizons.
“Take the time to learn as you go and, most importantly, don’t be afraid to ask for help. The Maryland Made squad and your boss will be there to support you, so don’t try to figure everything out on your own. This InTERPship experience can be an amazing opportunity, so I say do whatever you can to enjoy it. Having fun while learning about your interests will lead to a great summer!
“One thing I hope you know is it’s okay to feel like you don’t know what you’re doing. Being in a professional environment can be nerve-racking and intimidating as an undergraduate student. So it's okay to feel nervous, especially on your first day, but trust me, it gets a lot better as you go.”
