Giving interns a career edge, UF expands its business partnerships in the Southeastern U.S.
Career competitiveness can’t always be fully cultivated in 120 credit hours – the time it takes most college students to complete their four-year undergraduate studies. That’s where internships come in.
According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, 66% of employers tailor their hiring decisions around whether graduates have internship experience, and the University of Florida is making sure students get this advantage through the Beyond120 program. Now more than ever, students are staying ahead of the internship curve as UF expands the program’s scope throughout the Southeast – with more statewide business partnerships and valuable alumni connections.
“Growing our business partnerships in the greater Southeastern United States positions us to benefit all of UF, as we enhance our reputation as an institution that not only educates but actively connects our students in industries where they can thrive,” said Christina Mattern, Beyond120’s new partnership and employer engagement specialist, who has big goals for the program.
A growing network
For the past five years, Beyond120 has been providing students with hands-on, career-relevant experience by connecting them with professionals in their desired industries. Alumni frequently serve as mentors and guest speakers, and they offer internship opportunities to current undergraduates.
Throughout 2024, the program began laying the groundwork for similar relationships with local and state businesses, with the ultimate goal of creating more internship and excursion opportunities. This year, Beyond120 is accelerating these efforts regionally, as well as expanding the program’s pre-professional offerings to include pre-law tracking in addition to pre-health.
In an effort to strengthen business and organizational partnerships, Beyond120 has teamed up with JAXUSA – Jacksonville’s regional economic development partnership – to offer an excursion for pre-health students. These students have met with panels of noteworthy, Jacksonville-based employers, including the Mayo Clinic and Johnson & Johnson.
Rishika Podarala, a 2024 graduate, was among the pre-health students on the Jacksonville excursion. At the time, she was a fourth-year student, majoring in microbiology and cell sciences and minoring in health disparities in society.
“My most valuable takeaway from this experience was to keep an open mind,” said Podarala, whose experiential learning excursions at UF also included a visit to biotech and research companies in Jupiter, Florida, through the Career Connections Center. “[The Jacksonville experience] also helped me realize that there are many opportunities in health care and many different paths to progress in your career. One of the guest speakers also taught me about the concept of the ‘lattice,’ which means learning new skills while taking on more responsibility to prioritize both lateral and upward movement in your career to become a well-rounded individual.”
A statewide impact
Following the success of the Jacksonville excursion, Beyond120 has numerous plans for future trips. This spring, in partnership with the Clearwater Marine Aquarium and the Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research, the program will send a cohort of biology students on an excursion to get a behind-the-scenes look at animal care in an aquarium.
Other future partnerships include connecting students in the UF Department of Statistics with the Tampa Bay Rays, pairing students in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese Studies with the Alachua Multi-County Migrant Education Program, and bringing students in the Department of Chemistry together with the Michelin Science Scholars Program.
“These partnerships demonstrate the range of opportunities that we strive to achieve with each of our collaborations, building intentionality and purpose into the relationships that we build,” said Taylor Stokes, the director of Beyond120.
To support these new initiatives, the Beyond120 team plans to expand its Experiential Learning Coordinators program. Designed to create a direct line of communication between the university’s academic departments and Beyond120, this program will help create interdepartmental and interdisciplinary opportunities for students while providing resources and support for the departments.
“By building liberal-arts-and-sciences-focused experiences, Beyond120 provides students with the language, experiences, and resources needed to ground what they learn in classes to the real world – a crucial piece for many of our students,” Stokes said. “Our goal is to teach students not just what to learn, but how to learn.”