Juliette Hirsch (’25), right, poses with fellow interns on the South Lawn outside the White House.
Juliette Hirsch (’25) arrives at work 10 minutes before her shift starts.
“What would you like me to work on today?” she asks.
Like many students from The Master’s University in the summer months, Hirsch is ready to take initiative during her internship. This isn’t just any company, though.
It’s the summer after her senior year, and Hirsch is working at the White House.
Juliette Hirsch (’25), right, and a fellow intern inside the White House.
Every year, young men and women enter TMU with various ambitions and visions of their future. While they are here, those goals are tested and refined so that in just a few years, those students can step back out — ready to serve Christ faithfully in their field.
An important part of this preparation takes place beyond the classroom, in practical internships on and off campus. TMU’s professional network helps students secure relevant roles that will support their classroom learning and prepare them for careers after graduation.
Students often credit TMU’s classroom education for building the knowledge and confidence they need to succeed in real-world tasks.
Andrew Crabtree, a senior studying biology and engineering, is one example. This summer, he interned with Valar Atomics, a nuclear energy startup developing small nuclear reactors. Crabtree operated a test reactor, designed peripheral systems, and sourced parts.
If that sounds pretty serious for a college internship, Crabtree thought so too. But, he says the foundation he received at TMU as a double-major in two intense programs prepared him to succeed in the role.
“My engineering classes here at TMU are really rigorous and thorough,” Crabtree says. “They require a lot of homework. I would be given multiple tasks a week, and I had to figure out how to complete them. That sometimes meant 20 to 40 hours of work over the course of a couple weeks.”
Andrew Crabtree, a senior studying biology and engineering, interned last summer at Valar Atomics, a nuclear energy startup.
The University’s network helped Crabtree to get his foot in the door. When he met Valar Atomics at TMU’s Career Fair, the start-up had already worked with several students and was ready to hire more.
“The engineering program and network at TMU are really strong,” Crabtree says. “And it’s especially advantageous because of the size of the program — you aren’t lost among a thousand other engineering undergraduates.”
TMU’s size doesn’t just give students the advantage of tailored preparation in the classroom. It also provides dedicated opportunities to explore internships that play to their career goals.
Hannah Ulibarri, for instance, is a senior mechanical engineering and computer science major — on top of being a star athlete on the women’s golf team. When she entered TMU, she already knew what kind of work experience she wanted.
“I’ve been wanting to do golf club engineering since I was in high school,” she says. “I love golf, and I love problem-solving.”
In the summer, Ulibarri put her passions to work as a research and development engineer at her favorite golf company, Callaway Golf in Carlsbad, California. The job requirements? Golf IQ and an engineering background — both of which Ulibarri already had in spades (or clubs).
At Callaway Golf, Ulibarri didn’t just code analysis programs to assess club performance. She tested them on-site to refine these programs, meshing performance and data. She even designed a few clubs herself.
Ulibarri says her time at TMU — particularly in classes that incorporated 3D design software — gave her the hard skills the job demanded.
“The coding language program that I used over the summer, Dr. (Joey) Kim specifically wanted us to learn it as engineers,” she says. “I ended up using that program probably eighty percent of the time. So, Dr. Kim gave me the exact tool that I needed.”
Senior Hannah Ulibarri put her passions for golf and engineering to work last summer as a research and development engineer for Callaway Golf.
The experience also served as a confirmation of the career path Ulibarri hopes to follow.
“I came into the internship thinking I would like it,” she says, “and I left knowing this is exactly what I want to do.”
It’s not uncommon for internships to turn into long-term job opportunities for TMU students. This was the case for Juliette Hirsch, a teacher education student.
Last summer, Hirsch applied for an internship at the White House. When accepted, she was selected for the Office of Speechwriting, where she researched statistics and stories for presidential speeches.
“I think a lot of my teacher education classes really helped me for this internship, because almost all of them were focused on research and writing,” says Hirsch. “And that is the main focus of my internship and job.”
Hirsch didn’t let being in a fast-paced environment distract her from one thing: working really hard. Her good reputation came into play as the internship drew to a close. When a position opened in her office, Hirsch was offered full-time employment. She now works at the White House as the director of research in the Office of Speechwriting.
When asked about her experience in government, Hirsch says, “That’s one of the reasons I’m so grateful for TMU, because I think it really grounded me in my faith.
“Being around believers who are super solid helped me develop a view of work that’s really stewardship — how I’m not working to please other people, but to please the Lord,” Hirsch says. “And it really grounds me in how to view my coworkers, how to serve them best, and how to spread the gospel.”
Whether they’re serving the government or taking on projects at a start-up, TMU wants its students to have every preparation necessary to work heartily unto the Lord. That goal goes beyond tests and essays – it’s about turning principles of faith into practices of biblical wisdom and integrity.
“Survey after survey continues to affirm that employers value soft skills at least as much as technical ability,” says Dr. Mitch Hopewell, TMU’s provost. “At TMU, our faculty desire not only excellence in academics, but Christlikeness and character in addition to capability. Internships provide an arena for students to practice godly character while working diligently as unto the Lord.”
