SOM at 50: Making an Impact Through the Internship Fund
Alumni share the unforgettable moments and opportunities the Internship Fund and its signature auction helped make possible.
As Yale SOM celebrates its 50th anniversary, we are inviting alumni to reminisce about the people, programs, and moments that helped shape their paths and the values they carry into their work for business and society.
Recently, we asked alumni about their memories of the Yale SOM Internship Fund, which supports students pursuing social impact summer internships at nonprofits, in government, and in other mission-driven organizations. The first of its kind among peer business schools, the fund helps ensure that students can achieve impact in the field of their choice without financial constraints. Its tentpole fundraisers, the annual Starsearch talent show and Auction Night, are some of SOM’s most beloved traditions. Between 5% and 15% of each class benefit from the fund each year.
Below, alumni share stories about springtime hikes turned into snowstorms, the first case of Honest Tea ever sold, and life-changing career pivots spanning the globe.
A group of us bid on a stay at the Greenleaf Hut in the New Hampshire mountains. We planned for a lovely late spring hiking trip...and ended up getting hit with a snowstorm! It was definitely a memorable way to end our time at SOM.
The Internship Fund supported my dream internship at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, as part of their Ukraine Hub. This opportunity would not have been possible without Internship Fund support, and has been valuable in helping me pivot into a more impact-focused career.
After glamming up a Charlie’s Angels and Destiny’s Child-inspired stage-bit, we hosted a New Haven scavenger hunt and dinner and then a day-long NYC walking tour. I was shocked and thrilled at how much money the auction raised overall. I think we were all high on the energy of that night and the end of our first year coming into focus. It was bawdy and fun!
In the 1998 Internship Fund auction during my second year, I bid for and won a case of Honest Tea that was put up by the company's founders, Professor Barry Nalebuff and Seth Goldman ’95. It was billed as the first case of Honest Tea sold. I remember the Moroccan mint tea was especially good.
For my internship, I worked for the state of Connecticut’s office of planning and management on a project related to permitting reform. While I ended up working professionally in the private sector after graduation, I have volunteered for the last 20-plus years on the Economic Development Commission in Newton, Massachusetts, where I live. I continue to work on some of the same issues that I worked on for my internship and have used my SOM learnings and toolkit across sectors.
Thanks to the Internship Fund, I was able to explore working in the development sector in India. I joined an organization called IDinsight, and my internship eventually transitioned into a full-time opportunity. Thanks to that opportunity, I now work as the CEO of an Indian nonprofit organization. I was able to transition my career thanks to the Internship Fund. If that internship hadn’t occurred, I wouldn’t have been able to secure a full-time role in the development sector or pursue a high-impact, meaningful career.
I co-led the Internship Fund for my class. It was one of my most important and meaningful experiences at SOM. With a background in the Peace Corps, international development, and nonprofits, I chose SOM because it was known for having more of a social sector focus. Of course, I was still nervous and unsure whether I would fit in and be able to keep up. Leading the Internship Fund was a perfect way for me to find my community, do something useful and meaningful for my classmates, and contribute to SOM’s unique character. I learned so much in the process—supporting creative fundraising (including a hilarious Sally Struthers spoof video spearheaded by my classmates), rolling out a new online tool for the auction, and more.
I had always been a doer, but this leadership role was all about supporting and facilitating talented classmates to do really cool stuff! The experience of collaboration, delegation, and trusting others—not to mention our solid results raising thousands to support nonprofit internships—built my confidence in my abilities, and showed me that my nonprofit background had given me transferable leadership and management skills. The lifelong friendships are the icing on the cake.
We want to hear from you!
Help shape Yale SOM’s 50th anniversary celebration by sharing your reflections. Share a quick insight or a thoughtful story (and stay tuned for more prompts as we celebrate this milestone together).
