University of Chicago Career Advancement

Meet a UChicago Metcalf Intern: Abbey’s Summer of Cultural Exchange   Abbey Figueroa is passionate about building bridges between different cultures.   A Global Studies and Public Policy major in UChicago’s Class of 2027, Abbey is considering careers in policy, human rights, and anthropology.   To explore her interests and get hands-on experience, Abbey secured a Metcalf internship in Mexico City this summer with COMEXUS Fulbright-García Robles. COMEXUS is a binational organization that offers grants for students, researchers, and teachers from the United States and Mexico to pursue educational exchange programs.   As a program support intern, Abbey tackled a diverse range of projects for COMEXUS this summer, including updating program databases, drafting press releases and social media posts, organizing events, and helping participants prepare visa applications. This internship also provided an opportunity for Abbey to apply her Spanish language skills.   Watch this video to see a day in the life of Abbey’s internship in Mexico City! #uchicago #internship #education

Meet a UChicago Metcalf Intern: Josie’s Summer of Education Access One conversation can have a huge impact on your career. Nobody knows this better than Josie Barboriak. Josie is a Class of 2026 student majoring in Sociology and Fundamentals: Issues and Texts. She’s considering several possible careers where she’d have the opportunity to explore her passions for education, policy, research, and storytelling. Last fall, Josie went to an event featuring UChicago alumnus Ben Samuels-Kalow (AB’12). Ben is the founder and head of school at Creo College Preparatory Charter School, a public charter school in New York’s South Bronx community serving elementary school students in grades 5 through 8. Josie was so impressed by the presentation that she contacted Ben to ask if she could work with him over the summer. She received an offer to intern with the school’s operations team and secured a Metcalf grant to fund the position. As an operations intern, Josie tackled a variety of projects for the school, including student recruitment and canvassing the community to better understand families’ needs. Watch this video to learn more about Josie’s Metcalf experience at Creo College Prep! #uchicago #internship #education

Meet a UChicago Metcalf Intern: Baylee’s Summer on the Farm Not all internships are in an office. Just ask Baylee Ha! Baylee is a Class of 2027 UChicago student majoring in Biological Sciences and Visual Arts. An aspiring veterinarian, Baylee has a passion for science, ecology, and working with animals. This summer, Baylee is getting a hands-on experience in animal science as a Metcalf intern with Bee and Thistle Farm in Enumclaw, WA. Baylee provides daily care for a variety of animals – including goats, chickens, ducks, cows, and pigs – and has helped deliver both oral and topical medical treatments for parasites.  Watch this video to learn more about Baylee’s Metcalf internship! #uchicago #internship #lifesciences

UChicago alum, Umar Siddiqi, AB’24, was recently named a Knight-Hennessy Scholar, and this fall, he will pursue a medical degree from Stanford University's School of Medicine. Learn more about Siddiqi and the Knight-Hennessy Scholars Program: http://ms.spr.ly/6040lRyNq

Meet a UChicago Metcalf Intern: Aidan’s Summer of Experimental Physics   Meet Aidan Nicholas, a Class of 2026 student majoring in Mathematics and Physics.   Ever since he was a child, Aidan has been fascinated by physics and the mysteries of the universe. At UChicago, he’s been particularly interested in quantum and particle physics. He hopes to pursue a career as a scientist and researcher.   Aidan entered the College with experience in both the theory and practice of physics thanks to his service in the United States Navy. During his time in the Navy, Aidan worked as an electronics technician and reactor operator on nuclear submarines.   This summer, Aidan is continuing his physics journey as a Metcalf intern in the laboratory of his faculty mentor, Professor Karri DiPetrillo.   Working closely with Professor DiPetrillo, Aidan is getting experience in both the hardware and software underpinning particle physics experiments.   Watch this video to learn more about Aidan’s Metcalf internship! #uchicago #internship #science

Meet a UChicago Metcalf Intern: Marta’s Summer at the Marine Biological Laboratory   Marta Pantin is a Class of 2026 UChicago student majoring in biochemistry.   A rising scientist with a passion for learning, Marta plans to pursue a Ph.D and a research career.   She’s taking a major step on her career journey this summer as a Metcalf intern at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA.   Working in a lab team led by microbiologist Scott Chimileski, PhD, Marta is researching how bacteria organize themselves in the human oral microbiome. She hopes this research can one day inform important healthcare efforts such as optimizing drug delivery.   This internship builds on Marta’s rigorous coursework and her previous experiences as a research assistant with the University’s Biological Sciences Division and the Severo Ochoa Molecular Biology Centre.   Watch this video to learn more about Marta’s adventures at the Marine Biological Laboratory this summer! #uchicago #internship #science

From the Research Lab to the Basketball Court: Nic’s Journey in Data Science   When he first started at UChicago, Nicholas Liagridonis was thinking about a career in psychology research or neuroscience.   To explore his interests, Nic got involved with the University of Chicago Memory Lab. During his time at the lab, Nic recruited study participants and coordinated the data collection process.   This research assistantship made Nic realize that he really enjoyed working with large datasets. Excited by the academic and professional possibilities, Nic decided to change his major to Data Science.   One career path in particular stood out to Nic. As a lifelong basketball fan, he was fascinated by sports analytics. He set a goal of finding a data job after graduation with an NBA basketball team.   To achieve this goal, Nic worked hard both in and out of the classroom to build up his skills. In addition to a rigorous data science courseload, he secured an internship with the University of Chicago Men’s Basketball team. During his internship, Nic worked on a predictive modeling project where he analyzed data from footage of the team’s previous games to identify personalized strategies the players could use to improve.   Nic also took advantage of the UChicago Data Science Institute’s Data Science Clinic Program, a project-based course where students work in teams to tackle a real-world project facilitated by partners in academia, industry, and social impact organizations. Nic’s team worked on a software optimization project for Argonne National Laboratory, where they used an ensemble algorithm to match project planning documents with safety procedures.   After four years of hard work, Nic successfully secured a post-graduation business intelligence internship with an NBA basketball team, the Sacramento Kings.   Congratulations Nic – we can’t wait to see where your career goes from here! “The Career Advancement program at UChicago was unbelievably helpful at all stages of my college tenure, from when I had no idea what I wanted to do, to when I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I couldn’t be more grateful for my time and everything I went through at the College, and Career Advancement in particular really helped me continually progress along the way.” #uchicago #career #datascience

Ready to take the next step toward advancing your career goals? Chicago Booth’s Full-Time MBA application is now open for the class of 2027.

Meet a Rising Leader in Environmental and Foreign Policy   Elizabeth Zazycki exemplifies the UChicago spirit of inquiry and impact.   Elizabeth recently graduated from the University with degrees in History and Political Science along with a minor in Geographical Information Sciences. Since she first arrived at the College, Elizabeth has been passionate about using research and ideas to create positive change in the world.   During her time at UChicago, Elizabeth experimented with several different career paths, including government, research, policy activism, and public service.   In the summer after her first year, Elizabeth secured a communications internship with the U.S. Department of the Interior. This experience sparked Elizabeth’s interest in environmental policy and national security.    During her second year, she decided to further explore both of these areas. Elizabeth joined the Chicago Project on Security and Threats – led by distinguished UChicago scholar Robert A. Pape, Professor of Political Science – as a research assistant, where she supported GIS and database projects to analyze militant movements. For her second year summer, Elizabeth conducted strategic research and policy analysis on climate issues and American Rescue Plan implementation for People’s Action, a political advocacy organization.    Building on these experiences, Elizabeth continued to develop her skills and expertise in her final years at the University. She had the unique opportunity to combine her interests in policy, security, and the environment as a Climate Hub intern at the U.S. Department of the Treasury. During this internship, Elizabeth created briefing books to prepare department officials for diplomatic meetings and wrote policy memos on a variety of topics such as voluntary carbon markets, cryptocurrency, and net-zero bank commitments.    Based on her impressive resume, Elizabeth was selected for the UChicago student delegation for the 27th United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP27), one of the most important annual international climate change conferences.    During her last year of college, Elizabeth was chosen for the highly competitive Boren Scholars Program. As a Boren Scholar, Elizabeth traveled to Jaipur, India where she completed a year-long Hindi language program and a research project where she assessed the effectiveness of a rural development program.   As a result of all her hard work, Elizabeth has received an invitation to join The Stimson Center, a leading foreign affairs think tank, as a Junior South Asia Fellow. Before she begins her fellowship in August, Elizabeth is completing an internship this summer with the Rocky Mountain Institute providing strategic insight on the development renewable opportunities in coal communities   Congratulations Elizabeth – we can’t wait to see where you take your career! #uchicago #research #policy

Rising UChicago fourth-year students Sarah Kress, Eva McCord and Joshua Pixley received 2024 Barry Goldwater Scholarships. This prestigious award supports students pursuing research careers in the natural sciences, mathematics and engineering. Learn more: http://ms.spr.ly/6045lJxBZ