Intern Philly

The Intern Philly program offers an ongoing Guest Speaker Series, giving prospective and current students a personalized understanding of the professional trajectories of an acclaimed group of area entrepreneurs and business leaders.  The Speaker Series provides a unique space for students to engage with diverse visions of life after undergraduate study and the specific professional and personal growth the rigor of an Intern Philly internship can bring. Informative and lively dialogue cultivates the notion that skills acquired during college create a bridge to a successful and fulfilling professional future.  Perhaps the most enduring aspect of the Speaker Series is the idea that there are many different avenues forward from a study-focused paradigm into a workplace-focused environment. Students come away from the Speaker Series affirming that there are many ways to engage with the professional community and to combine the passions, interests, and skills acquired in each.

Recent Speaker Series specialists have included:

Michele Porterfield

Michele Porterfield is a Senior Consultant and Practice Leader for Leadership Solutions, a Human Resources Firm devoted to understanding organizational culture, while identifying solutions that are appropriate for specific circumstances.  Michele brought the expertise and experience of a changing job market to the Intern Philly table from her extensive work with diverse clients of numerous cultural, social, and economic demographics. 

Katherine Rapin

Katherine Rapin is the Managing Editor at The Philadelphia Citizen. This is a non-profit, non-partisan media organization with a dual mission: to provide deeply reported journalism that emphasizes solutions that can move our region forward, and to actively reignite the concept of citizenship.  Katherine worked as a baker, a bartender, a farm camp director, and a cooking instructor before becoming an editor. She spoke to the students about her journey, from her arrival in Philadelphia as an intern, to a career path filled with outreach to people who worked in fields that interested her along the way, to her position at The Citizen. 

Linda Paul

Linda Paul began her career at Bell of Pennsylvania, a telephone company.  During her tenure, she worked in various departments. Including marketing and operations. She took part in several major transformations in the communications business, most notably when the business transformed from a Local Access Network (LAN) to a wireless platform.  The majority of her career, however, was spent as an Organizational Development Consultant.  In her role as change agent, she was dedicated to participating in the development of process and technology changes, while working with employees to implement those changes throughout the corporation.  Linda spoke to our students about their future careers: she explored the themes of surviving, thriving and enjoying.

Peter Capolino

Peter Capolino is a well known Philadelphia entrepreneur and businessman who turned a sporting goods business into the world's only official manufacturer of MLB-, NFL-, NBA-, and NHL-sanctioned throwback gear in 1985. Peter worked tirelessly to steer this innovative concept to success and sold it in 2007 to Adidas.  (You can view Peter’s National Sporting Goods Association's Hall of Fame profile here.) Peter's vision of a vintage-jersey business exploded into a fashion statement for musicians and athletes alike, and the business he founded still carries the echoes of his acumen and foresight.  He's led an interesting and diverse career! Peter spoke to our students about embracing change, intercultural communication, equity in the workplace, professional networking, and preparing for the future by developing skills and experience.

The Intern Philly program welcomes regional business leaders of all types to engage with our students. If you are a business leader interested in participating, please contact Ilene Baker, Assistant Director of Intern Philly at bakeri@arcadia.edu.

If you are a student interested in checking out the Speaker Series or applying for our dynamic and customized program, offered both onsite and online, check out our website: https://studyabroad.arcadia.edu/find-a-program/programs-by-country/usa/intern-philly

/ or reach out to Ilene anytime for a personalized consultation at bakeri@arcadia.edu.

We look forward to your joining us at the next Speaker Series event!

(Photo slideshow, 1-4: Michelle Porterfield; Katherine Rapin; Linda Paul; Peter Capolino.)