Chapel Executive Internship Program

Chapel Executive Internship Program
Chapel Executive Internship Program

What is the Chapel Executive Internship Program?

The Virginia Todd Chapel Executive Internship Program provides $5,000 to Liberal Arts students completing full-time, in-person internships in the business or private sector.

Eligibility Requirements

  • Current undergraduate student at Penn State University Park
  • At least one declared Liberal Arts major
  • Completed at least 59.1 credits (fifth-semester standing)
  • Minimum 3.0 grade-point average
  • Offer for a full-time internship (paid or unpaid) in the business or private sector (virtual internships not eligible)

Strongest consideration will be given to students who have not previously received funding from the Chapel Executive Internship Program, students who complete the application prior to the deadline, and students who articulate the ways in which their Liberal Arts education will impact their internship experience and career goals.

Associate Dean Page, Jinnie Chapel, John Chapel, and Clarence Lang with the 2022 Chapel Interns
Associate Dean Page, Jinnie Chapel, John Chapel, and Clarence Lang with the 2022 Chapel Interns

How do I apply?

To apply for the Chapel Executive Internship Program and all other enrichment funding offered by the College of the Liberal Arts, students must fill out the Enrichment Funding application.

When applying, students will be asked to provide the following information:

  • Details about the internship experience (location, salary, coordinator contact information, etc.)
  • Formal offer letter from the internship
  • Description of the internship (title, name of organization, what you will do for the company, etc.)
  • Information on how this internship experience will support your overall career goals
  • Information on why your internship is unique and worthy of support
  • Information on any financial circumstances the Career Enrichment Network should be made aware of
  • List of expenses tied to the completion of your internship
  • Résumé/CV

What is the application deadline?

Fall
Spring
Summer
September 1
December 1
April 19

Students must submit their application prior to the deadline for the semester they are completing an internship. For example, students completing an internship in the fall must submit their application before September 1. Applications will be reviewed and awarding decisions will be made within two to three weeks.

What happens if I am selected for the program?

Students selected as recipients will receive $5,000 deposited into their Penn State student Bursar account the semester their internship takes place. Students who are not selected for the internship program will automatically be considered for our general Liberal Arts enrichment funds. There is no need to submit a separate application.

In addition to receiving funding, selected students must also:

  1. Write a letter thanking the donors responsible for the award.
  2. Submit a summary (no more than 300 words) at the conclusion of your internship experience.
    • Include the highlights of your internship, how it furthers your career goals, and how the college and your education helped you get where you are today.
  3. Complete the Clifton Strengths assessment.
  4. Submit a student profile.
    • You will be asked to provide a headshot and a location photo, a description of your internship, how the funding and/or the college helped you, and more.
  5. Attend a breakfast with the Chapels and the other Chapel Interns held within the first few weeks of the fall semester. Details about this event will be provided in advance.
  6. Meet with the donors if they return to campus. A staff member in our office will contact you to arrange a meeting if the donors return to campus.

Meet the Chapels

Virginia (Jinnie) Todd Chapel is a 1965 Penn State graduate with a degree in English and member of the Liberal Arts Development Council. Jinnie had a successful career with the management consulting firm of Booz Allen Hamilton and later became a partner in LeapFrog Solutions, a marketing communications management firm, based in Fairfax, Virginia. Her husband, John Chapel, is a graduate of Drexel University, and today he is president and CEO of White Hall Capital LLC, a Northern Virginia-based private equity investment firm.

The Chapels started The Virginia Todd Chapel Executive Internship Program with leadership gifts creating an endowment now valued at $2.5 million. This funding, partnered with a previous gift, supports premium internships in the private sector for Liberal Arts students who excel academically and who seek high-quality career development opportunities.

Virginia and Todd Chapel
Virginia and Todd Chapel
Dylan Benson graduated from Penn State in fall 2023.
Chapel InternsInternship

Dylan Benson

’23
Chinese
|
Finance
Chinese
Finance
Dylan is forging international connections with finance professionals and business leaders at Goldman Sachs this summer in London, United Kingdom. Thanks to funding from the Chapel Executive Internship Program, Dylan is able to explore and travel around the surrounding European countries alongside his internship duties.
Penn State student, Paris Pavelchik stands in front of the DuPont logo at their office in Midland, Michigan.
Chapel InternsInternshipPaterno FellowsSchreyer Scholar

Paris Pavelchik

’26
Architechtural Engineering
|
French and Francophone Studies
|
Mathematics (minor)
|
Engineering Entrepreneurship and Innovation (minor)
|
Music Performance (minor)
Architechtural Engineering
French and Francophone Studies
Mathematics (minor)
Engineering Entrepreneurship and Innovation (minor)
Music Performance (minor)
Paris, a Paterno Fellow and Schreyer Scholar, spent her summer in Midland, Michigan as a performance building solutions intern with DuPont. She said her internship experience has allowed her to obtain the knowledge and connections she needs to further her career and work toward her professional goal of working historic restoration projects throughout Europe following graduation.
Penn State student, Gargee Gosavi will graduate in 2024.
Chapel InternsInternshipLabor and Human ResourcesPsychology

Gargee Gosavi

’24
Psychology
|
Labor and Human Resources (minor)
Psychology
Labor and Human Resources (minor)
At her internship at JLG industries in Hagerstown, Maryland, Gargee worked on resolving work-related conflicts, aiding employee retention and identifying workplace productivity issues. Gargee credits her Liberal Arts classes for her ability to contextualize workplace issues within a business framework. One particular class helped her learn how labor and human relations can affect and drive a business to success. “It resonated with me and what I was learning in psychology — how brain functioning affects people’s biological functioning, wellbeing and behavior. I’ve been using my internship to apply the concept of optimal human functioning into the work scenarios I investigate to find places for advancement.”
Emil Rabor stands outside in the courtyard of the Northwestern Mutual Office in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Chapel InternsEconomicsInternship

Emil Rabor

’24
Economics
|
Informations Sciences and Technology (minor)
Economics
Informations Sciences and Technology (minor)
This summer Emil interned with Northwestern Mutual in Honolulu, Hawaii. “I was already involved in investing and stocks, but I really wanted to learn more about those two things, as well as why money is the way it is and resource allocation, which are important in economics.” Emil received the Chapel Executive Internship Program award of $5,000 which allowed him to pay for logistical aspects of the internship like summer housing and transportation to and from Hawaii. It also allowed him to fully embrace what it is like to be a financial representative and be able to set up client lunches or dinners.
Penn State student, Lachlan Byrne at the TD Cowen office in San Francisco, California.
Chapel InternsEconomicsInternship

Lachlan Byrne

’24
Finance
|
Economics
Finance
Economics
With support from the Chapel Executive Internship Program, Lachlan spent the summer completing an internship as an investment banking summer analyst at TD Cowen in the company’s San Francisco office. While there, Lachlan built a network of contacts and learned the technical and professional skills of the financial industry.
Penn State student, Katelyn Davis will graduate in 2024.
Chapel InternsEconomicsInternshipPaterno FellowsSchreyer Scholar

Katelyn Davis

’24
Economics
|
Mathematics
Economics
Mathematics
A Paterno Fellow and Schreyer Scholar, Katelyn, used Penn State and College of the Liberal Arts resources to secure a summer internship with Bates White Economics Consulting in Washington, D.C. The Chapel Executive Internship Program provided her with $5,000, which helped cover the cost of living during her summer. “I could fully participate in after-work events as a result of being able to live in a close area. Bates White was unique in the fact that they had a lot of activities and a very tight-knit culture. It made being away from home more comfortable while I was there this summer.”
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