Cornell students use Ingenuity in Action experiences to launch careers

Cornell College’s Krystin Kamrath and Dakota Seastrom are completing one of their Ingenuity in Action graduation requirements while preparing for their future careers during their summer internships.

Both students are college financial representatives for Northwestern Mutual in downtown Cedar Rapids, about a 20-minute drive from campus. They spend their days calling clients, setting goals, and building a future. They say that if the interns at Northwestern Mutual get hired for full-time positions after graduation, they’ll start their careers with the clients they worked with as interns.

“We have multiple meetings to attend every day. We’re basically building our own practice,” says Kamrath, a finance major and junior at Cornell.

Kamrath discovered the opportunity through Handshake, the college’s online recruiting network where students can find internships, upload resumes for employers to see, and search for jobs. After several discussions and interviews, she received the job. 

She also applied for and received Ingenuity in Action funding from Cornell which helps her pay for her apartment for the summer in Cedar Rapids. Cornell’s Ingenuity in Action program is supported by donors who believe in the value of hands-on experiences and can assist students with out-of-pocket costs–housing, transportation, and meal costs–to ensure everyone can access the opportunities they’d like to explore.

“Cornell’s funding support confirmed that this was going to be the right internship for the summer,” Kamrath said. “Since I’m from the state of Washington, I didn’t have a place to live for the summer. So, getting funding from Ingenuity in Action made this the right place to get an internship.”

Seastrom, a senior and a business management major from the Cedar Rapids area, discovered this internship during the Cornell Career Expo. The event is held each year by the Berry Career Institute during the spring semester. 

“I needed an internship for my major and for my Ingenuity in Action requirements,” Seastrom said. “So I went to the Career Expo, and then that’s where I met the recruiter for Northwestern Mutual here in Cedar Rapids. We had a few meetings and interviews.”

As part of their internship, they both team up with a coach to set goals and assist clients.

“It’s a great opportunity,” Seastrom added. “It will help me build my resume and start a career here. If this isn’t my route for my career, then so be it, but it’s definitely going to help me push myself.”

Both students noted that One Course At A Time has helped them to focus and immerse themselves in what they’re doing during their internship.

“With One Course At A Time, you’re focused on one thing and that’s all you have to worry about,” Kamrath said. “When I come to work, it’s the only thing I worry about, and I don’t have anything outside my work day that I need to do.”

Both students plan to work at their internships throughout the summer and possibly continue during the academic year.