From bugs to circuits, internships give Redbirds career experience

In the case of these four Illinois State University students, summer 2026 internship experiences ranged from analyzing beetles and mapping electrical circuits to caring for expecting mothers and designing corporate apps.

Environmental science senior digitizes beetle specimens

Arwen Townander has always loved spending time outdoors and said she has “never been fazed by bugs or creepy crawlies.”

That made her the perfect fit for an undergraduate insect internship through the Women in Science program at the Field Museum in Chicago.

Over six weeks this summer, she carefully handled dry-pinned Trichonychini beetles and interpreted historic labels, digitizing 7,112 specimens for the museum’s online database.

“As we were going through specimens, it’s interesting to see what species are located where. That ties into the idea of biogeography, a subject that I’m interested in,” Townander said.

Internship supervisors encouraged Townander to explore patterns of biogeography among the beetles. She created maps to observe the biogeographic trends of species distribution within the collection, which she presented at a museum symposium.

She also worked with interns in other museum departments, collecting live insects in the field.

“It was pretty surreal that everyone I worked with was so incredibly knowledgeable,” she said.

Townander hopes to work in conservation or sustainability after graduating from Illinois State with a bachelor’s degree in environmental science.

“Regardless of whether I decide to pursue something in entomology, this was such a great experience to get my foot in the door and make some connections,” she said.

Electrical engineering sophomore maps circuits

Since childhood, Edisson Charles has enjoyed using robotics, math, and circuitry to turn his ideas into reality.

He brought that energy to Illinois State University’s College of Engineering as a member of the inaugural class, even with the feeling that attending a newly formed college “would kind of be a gamble.”

“But I felt like it would be a nice experience to be part of the founding members of the college,” he said. “I definitely made the right choice. I love the size of the school and the chance to be close to professors and even the dean. I wouldn’t have that deeper connection if I went to a large engineering school.”

Beyond the classroom, Charles broadened his understanding of the field during a summer electrical engineering internship with Hanson Professional Services in Springfield.

“The career path for electrical engineering can be very broad. I’d like to go work with computers and three-dimensional analysis to design circuits and power systems,” he said.

During the internship, Charles got a taste for the same kind of work.

He learned about electrical power lines and building circuits, even flying a drone to survey areas to identify code violations. Back in the office, he entered the data into computer-aided design software to view the space in 3D and generate reports to send to partner companies who could adjust lines and replace poles.

The experience gave him a clearer sense of a typical workday for an electrical engineer.

“This internship has helped me understand how it feels to work on a team and meet deadlines, while gaining hands-on experience and building my skills with engineering programs,” Charles said. “It isn’t easy. But I like the challenge.”

Psychology senior supports expecting mothers

Gracie Medina used to drive by The Baby Fold in Normal and wonder about the services the nonprofit provides to children and families—and how it could fit her interest in maternal counseling.

She raised the question to a fellow Illinois State cheerleader while serving on the squad’s mental health committee. The teammate said her mom used to work as a doula with The Baby Fold and offered to arrange a phone call to discuss the career.

“Having a birth doula lowers maternal and infant mortality rates significantly. I would like to go into that field to serve as an advocate for moms in the delivery room and to teach them about their bodies and the birth process,” Medina said.

She landed an internship as a doula through The Baby Fold’s Healthy Start program after connecting with the organization during a career fair on campus.

During the summer internship, Medina joined a doula during home visits with expecting mothers.

“We explain Medicaid, talk about their desires and fears in terms of giving birth, teach them different comfort measures and labor positions, and especially how to advocate for themselves,” Medina said. “After the birth, we visit them and the child to help with breastfeeding, screen the baby for early intervention, and even help take them to doctor appointments.”

Medina said doula services and maternal care need more attention.

“I was born prematurely. Both me and my mom were very sick, and I think our experience would have changed if we had a doula available to us,” she said.

“Internships are so valuable because you get hands-on experience, and you get to test the waters to see if that’s what you want to do, while making connections with so many different people.” —Gracie Medina

At the end of the internship, The Baby Fold offered Medina a part-time job as a family support assistant. She is planning home visits, filing paperwork, identifying resources for families, and supporting doulas and home visitors on staff.

“Internships are so valuable because you get hands-on experience, and you get to test the waters to see if that’s what you want to do, while making connections with so many different people,” Medina said.

Creative tech senior designs corporate applications

Jaxon Henrichs started building his knowledge of design and technology before attending college. At Normal West High School, he took part in dual credit classes offered through a partnership with State Farm.

He began his college journey at Heartland Community College as a computer science major. As he explored the field’s different specialties, he found himself drawn to the creative side of technology.

“I found UX (user experience) design to be more suited for me,” he said.

That drew Henrichs to transfer as a junior to the School of Creative Technologies at Illinois State University.

By then, his path to product design at State Farm was underway.

“State Farm originally recruited me to be a software engineer intern the summer after I graduated high school, which I did for three summers,” Henrichs said. “This year, I took on a product design role for the first time.”

Corporate product designers are responsible for taking in tickets from various stakeholders when they need something changed in a customer-facing app or a widely used internal app.

“My job this summer was to redesign an internal app that was originally built for function and needed a visual facelift,” Henrichs said. “There’s definitely a bit of pressure, knowing over 100,000 people will use this app per month. I wanted to make it work better for users without changing too much.”

An additional challenge, he said, was updating the app to meet accessibility standards. Working with several teams and seeing a process develop from beginning to end was his favorite part of the internship.

“Working in a corporate environment for the first time, learning how those systems work, understanding the process, and getting to ask questions was a great experience,” Henrichs said.

Henrichs encourages college peers to start networking early to open the door to more internship possibilities.

“Don’t just submit an internship application. Try and meet them, go to an event or an internship fair, and get your name out there, so they recognize you when they’re going through the list,” he said. “And always ask questions.”