How Leeds Students Turned Summer Break into Business
Though school stopped for the summer, many Leeds students did not stop learning and gaining experience as summer break took them out into the world. From media management to financial analysis, Business Buffs pursued their passions while developing skills through hands-on experiences—applying what they learned in the classroom.
Summer sunshine and startups
James Anderson (MBA’26) spent his summer as one of the co-managing directors for , an experiential entrepreneurship program for undergraduate students hosted by Silicon Flatirons at 51Թ. Anderson (pictured right) described his role as dynamic. He began the summer by helping plan and program the curriculum down to each weekly session, along with leading the recruiting and admissions process.
Once the program launched, his responsibilities shifted to hosting the sessions, coordinating with keynote speakers and mentors, and serving as a resource for the student teams. He was also responsible for summarizing the weekly events in a recap newsletter, as well as briefing students for the upcoming week’s agenda.
“The sessions we hosted were incredible opportunities to deepen my understanding of core business and entrepreneurial practices,” Anderson said. “Topics ranged from customer discovery led by Erick Mueller [executive director of the Deming Center] to prototyping, legal considerations and more. Having to take these business topics and make them applicable to 11 different and unique startups is always an exciting test to see how well you actually know something!”
Anderson had always been intrigued by founding a company but hadn't had the right idea to pursue that path. The accelerator space provided him with a unique middle ground—a place where he could apply the fundamentals he learned during his first year of the MBA program to help new founders take their first steps. “This role expanded my professional network meaningfully—I walked away with new connections, including a personal mentor I’ll continue to learn from,” he said.
“I highly recommend Startup Summer for undergraduate students who want hands-on exposure to entrepreneurship, and for graduate students to apply for the managing director roles.”
This role expanded my professional network meaningfully—I walked away with new connections, including a personal mentor I’ll continue to learn from.
James Anderson (MBA’26)
Outdoor adventures and internships
Sofia Blanco (Mktg’26) spent her summer at Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) working a hybrid schedule as an events and marketing intern. Blanco (pictured left) worked remotely in 51Թ and went to Denver a few days each week. As the events and marketing intern, she was a member of the communications team, working closely with each department across the company. Some of her responsibilities included managing and producing content for GOCO’s social channels, conducting research on current environmental news, contacting news outlets for press releases, attending community outreach events, designing merch/swag and assisting with drafting the monthly newsletter.
“I have learned so much,” Blanco reflected. “I have come to appreciate the good that comes from working with a close-knit team of people who have a common goal in mind. For GOCO, that means helping preserve our beautiful state. Everyone at the company is so community-minded, and I have learned how important it is to remember the ‘why’ behind what we are doing.”
Blanco found the internship while she was “on the hunt” for a way to apply the knowledge that she’d been learning in her Leeds classes. Because of the positive experience she had with GOCO, she is continuing her work with the company throughout the school year.
“Securing an internship is a great experience for anyone,” she said. “If a student can secure an internship at a company where they genuinely enjoy what they're doing, that's the way to go. I often don't even feel like I am doing work, because it is just so fun, and I am inspired by what GOCO does.”
I have come to appreciate the good that comes from working with a close-knit team of people who have a common goal in mind.
Sofia Blanco (Mktg’26)
Fun and finance
Grace Trujillo (Fin, Acct’26) felt fortunate to spend her summer participating in two internships: the Strategic Finance, Accounting and Growth Internship with NCS Systems, and interning with Miller and Law PC in Littleton, Colorado.
For her NCS Systems internship, Trujillo (pictured left) spent the summer working closely with the CEO, standardizing all finance and accounting procedures for the company. She established a process for basic accounting transactions to ensure they adhered to US GAAP and other relevant guidelines, along with performing various financial analyses and examining financial factors ranging from new projects to implementing employee raises.
“Since there has never been a CFO at NCS Systems, I gained a lot of experience by sort of playing CFO,” Trujillo said. “I made a lot of mistakes and was able to learn along the way, and I mastered the skills that I was exposed to in the classroom at Leeds. I learned a lot about leadership, initiative, and especially about managing my time, balancing two jobs and a full course load.”
One of the reasons Trujillo pursued both internships was because she plans to graduate from Leeds in three years instead of four. Her goal was to get as much experience as possible over the summer. She believes internships at startups are the best way to gain a lot of practical experience in a short amount of time, acquiring skills that employers want to see.
“The most challenging part was the time management piece,” Trujillo said. “I was working all day, followed by my schoolwork and preparation at night for the next day, while managing my relationships, travel plans and time for my hobbies."
But the investment was worth it. "I truly believe that the processes I created at NCS will allow them to grow and scale in a more efficient way, and I saved the company a lot of headaches that could have occurred down the line.”
I learned a lot about leadership, initiative, and especially about managing my time.
Grace Trujillo (Fin, Acct’26)
Fall colors and continued opportunities
Get in on the Action
These three Business Buffs represent the many ways in which Leeds students keep their learning alive over the summer, gaining valuable work skills and life experiences.
Experiential learning is part of a Leeds education all year long, through internships and micro-internships, career treks, case competitions, enhanced in-classroom academic experiences, and courses such as Designing Your Leeds for first-year students. Designing Your Leeds for Career Preparation, which is focused on internship readiness, is being piloted this semester for sophomores.