Westat Summer Interns Reflect on 2024 Program

This June, Westat had the pleasure of welcoming 11 undergraduate and graduate students from across the country to our 2024 Summer Intern cohort. As they wrap up their time with us, we are taking the opportunity to highlight their experiences and showcase the projects they’ve worked on, the knowledge they’ve gained, and what they liked most about their internship with Westat.

Hear From Our Current Interns

In just 11 weeks, our 2024 interns have made significant contributions and gained valuable experiences across various departments. Here’s what some of them had to say about their time at Westat:

• Education Studies:
  • Ben Milhaupt shares, “Since joining the Region #14 team [one of the 19 federally funded Regional Technical Assistance Centers that offers no-cost services and products to support capacity building in state and local educational agencies] that provides capacity-building services to support improved educator and student outcomes, I have been animated by the opportunity to develop new documentation systems for enterprise technology projects. I am committed to ensuring that the experience of implementing these projects increases the capacity of the team while encouraging our clients to adopt similar solutions.”
• Public Health:
  • Sanaa Walker reflects, “I have really enjoyed working on the evaluation of the Healthy Start Program [a HRSA program designed to improve outcomes and reduce racial and ethnic disparities in infant mortality and other perinatal outcomes]. Analyzing data from various surveys and sitting in on internal and external meetings has offered me great insight on the thought process of evaluating public health programming.”
• Information Technology:
  • Prajakta Ingle, working in our IT Services department, which plays a crucial role in supporting projects across the company, notes, “My most cherished work experience was the opportunity to engage with diverse sector leads and leaders arranged by my supervisor. This experience allowed me to grasp the various service areas within Westat and expand my professional network significantly.”

Previous Interns Speak Up

Several of Westat’s former interns have paved the way for 2024’s cohort, leveraging their internships into full-time positions with the company. Jesus Arrue, MS, Lead Statistical Associate, Methodology, reflects fondly on his time as an intern:

“What surprised me the most about the company is the supervisor roles. I never felt alone during my summer internship, and there was always someone either guiding me during my tasks or providing positive feedback about my work, encouraging me to keep up the good job… [the internship] provided me with hands-on experience that otherwise could not have been obtained. I really felt that the work I did at Westat matched what I was learning at grad school, and this is something that I rarely had experience with previous employers.”

Jacky Valencia, MPH, CPH, and Beyonce Carrington, MPH, both now full-time Public Health Research Analysts, also had great things to say about their summer 2023 internships. Jacky says she felt the program was designed for interns to get useful, relevant experience, and that she “decided to [come on board full-time] because Westat seemed like a great company when [she] interned” and that Westat “really seems to care about the employees.”

Beyonce talks about the collaborative team at Westat, citing the supportive environment as one of the reasons she chose to stay on.  She says, “I enjoyed learning from individuals already established in the field I aspired to enter. Everyone on the team shared advice and perspectives that helped me grow.” She also noted the importance of our research and the impact it is making.

Our Recruiters Weigh In

Internship programs are a powerful tool for recruitment, helping Westat bring innovative researchers to our team. Kelly Dingee, Associate Vice President, Talent Management and Development, notes, “We are incredibly fortunate as an organization to attract amazing talent year over year into the internship program. Their diversity of thought and passion for the work are unmatched. One of our best moments is Intern Day, when all interns join us on campus and are celebrated and get to meet so many of the people they work with face to face.”

Interested in working with Westat? Check out www.westat.com/careers. Summer 2025 Internships will be posted online beginning in late October.