INTERNSHIPS AND PARTNERSHIPS AT HPU OPEN THE DOORS TO YOUR FUTURE

For many college students, an internship is the first opportunity to apply what they’ve learned in the classroom into practice. It can also be a chance to develop professional relationships that last a lifetime and explore a possible career path, making connections that lead to a job right after graduation.

At HPU, internships and other forms of experiential learning are an important, integral foundation for preparing students for today’s workforce. Through academic programs, industry partnerships, and connections with organizations throughout Hawaiʻi, HPU students have the chance to gain real-world experience near campus, while building the knowledge and skills needed to advance in their fields.

The University’s steadfast commitment is evident in two programs at HPU’s College of Business: the Bachelor of Science in Global Business, a three-year undergraduate degree that includes opportunities for two internships, and the General Contractors Association of Hawaiʻi Master of Science in Construction Management (MSCM), a graduate program developed in 2024.

The first of its kind in Hawaiʻi, the three-year Global Business degree was designed to give students an accelerated path to graduation while maintaining a strong emphasis on applied learning. Students can complete two internships as part of the program, including opportunities that may extend internationally. A two-semester capstone consulting experience gives students another opportunity to apply their knowledge to real-world business challenges.

The program reflects HPU’s effort to help students graduate with more than a degree. By combining academic study with internships and applied projects, students can develop professional skills and begin building relationships with employers before entering the workforce. All in three years!

HPU’s MSCM program takes a similarly practical approach at the graduate level. The novel program prepares students for leadership and management positions in the booming construction industry. Rather than focusing on traditional engineering design, the curriculum emphasizes the business, operational, and leadership responsibilities involved in delivering successful construction projects.

Students receive applied training in industry-standard project management software, including Primavera P6, and complete a construction project management capstone, with practical experience available through a supervised internship for those in the advanced project management concentration.

HPU alumnus Sergi Beltrol ‘15 knows firsthand how a business education at HPU can translate into leadership in Hawaiʻi’s construction sector. Originally from Barcelona, Spain, Beltrol came to HPU as a graduate assistant, coaching men’s soccer while earning his MBA. Through playing in a Honolulu men’s soccer league sponsored by Nan Inc., the largest independently owned general contractor in Hawaiʻi, he connected with the company’s owner and was hired as a project engineer upon finishing his degree.

Nearly 12 years later, Beltrol serves as director of civil operations and is working with Construction Management Program Director Charles Chen, Ph.D., to build internship opportunities for HPU students.

For decades, HPU alumni have shown how an internship completed during college can open the door to a lifelong career. The impressive list of notable alumni has grown over the years and continues to expand.

Born and raised in Jerusalem to a Palestinian father and German mother, Cornelia Samara ‘97 grew up helping her parents operate their family travel agency, meeting tourists at airports and attending hotel dinners. On a 30-day trip around the world with her mother and sisters, she stopped in Hawaiʻi, fell in love with the ʻohana spirit, and decided to enroll at HPU to study travel industry management.

“I was drawn to HPU, the local internship programs offered at the University,” said Samara. “HPU has small class sizes and a great mix of international students. The University provides students with the opportunity for hands-on learning with professors in their fields.”

When Samara graduated in 1997, the hospitality internship program at HPU helped start her rise in the industry. What started out as a reservations intern at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel quickly became a front office receptionist position, leading to a series of opportunities across the globe.

“My journey in the industry has taken me to Singapore, Cincinnati, Atlanta, San Francisco, Boston, Washington D.C., New York, Miami, and now, Philadelphia,” said Samara. “I became a general manager with Hyatt Hotels at their flagship Andaz Hotel in New York City, then opened 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge, Barry Sternlicht’s flagship property in the city.”

In 2021, Samara was appointed general manager of the Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia, overseeing hundreds of team members at the city’s first and only Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Hotel.

HPU alumna Asmita Barua ‘07 also began her career with an HPU internship in Honolulu. Born in Bangladesh and raised in Tokyo from the age of seven, Barua came to HPU to earn her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. During her undergraduate studies, she completed an internship at Nike Town in Waikīkī, which turned into a job in her second semester as a sales specialist and marketing assistant.

“The fact that HPU provides internships, earning credits towards their degree, gaining practical experience, I was fortunate to take advantage of that opportunity at Nike Town,” said Barua.

Barua later earned her Master of Arts in Organizational Change from HPU and built a 25-year career with the United Nations, serving across 13 U.N. offices, including two years in Mogadishu with the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia, and her current role as a senior management program analyst in New York.

Recent HPU graduates have experienced the same trajectory across a myriad of fields, including media, business, government, history, and healthcare.

Growing up in Warwick, Rhode Island, Emma Williams ‘23 wanted an education where she could pursue both journalism and filmmaking at the same time. Accepted into the Residential Honors Program at HPU, she double majored in multimedia cinematic production and mass communication with a minor in screenwriting.

“Attending HPU was one of the most spontaneous decisions I ever made, and it’s one that I would do all over again,” said Williams. “Throughout my time at HPU, I’ve had various internship opportunities for both of my majors. I worked as a producer’s assistant at Sight and Sound Productions. I was an integrated producer intern at Dentsu Creative, and I worked as a publishing assistant for Pacific Edge Magazine.”

While studying abroad in Barcelona in 2022, Williams also attended the 75th Annual Cannes Film Festival as a videographer and was offered a role as a lead development intern at filmmaker Rob Reiner’s production company, Castle Rock Entertainment. When she graduated from HPU in spring 2023, her internship experience with Dentsu Creative led directly to a job as an associate producer.

“Most of my success is largely in part of the incredible professors I’ve been so grateful to have had since my first semester at HPU,” said Williams. “The community here not only cares about you but also finds a way to ensure you are successful in achieving all your dreams. If you put in the effort at HPU and create lasting relationships, it will be the best and easiest choice you’ll ever have to make.”

HPU journalism alumna Nicole Monton found that same mentorship when she accepted an internship at television station KHON2 News while earning her bachelor’s degree at HPU. The newsroom experience prepared her to apply to MidWeek upon graduation on the recommendation of HPU Professor John Windrow. Hired in an entry-level role as calendar editor, Monton had been with MidWeek for more than a decade and served as managing editor.

“My advice to every undergraduate journalism student at HPU is to find an internship that appeals to you,” said Monton. “Even if it’s outside of your comfort zone, you will pick up tools for your toolbelt. It makes you marketable as a professional journalist.”

For many HPU students, an internship turns into a permanent position before they even cross the commencement stage. Megan McCarthy, from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, received an internship with Raytheon as a freshman at HPU, which led to her full-time position as a financial analyst with the company while she completed her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and concurrent MBA.

MBA student Angela Arlene Choy found a similar path into public service when she was selected by the City and County of Honolulu for the Poʻokela Fellows Internship Program, working in the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) Executive Services Division and serving as main lead for the 2024 cohort. Following the spring internship, she continued her employment with DPR, joining former Poʻokela Fellows such as HPU alumnus Chamara Silva, who transitioned from the internship into a permanent civil service role in the Mayor’s Office.

“The Department of Parks and Recreation internship has been a transformative journey,” said Choy. “My mentors entrusted me with a range of responsibilities, including participating in the career expo, gaining hands-on experience, and contributing to projects that directly benefit the public.”

History alumna Morgan Cassens (née Edelman) ‘24 came to HPU from College Station, Texas, and connected with the Hawaiian Historical Society through HPU History Professor Doug Askman, Ph.D., on the grounds of the Hawaiian Mission Houses, just down the street from HPU’s downtown campus. Through HIST 4997, HPU’s history internship course, she spent three semesters earning course credit with the society before interning in the archives and collections at the Hawaiian Mission Houses and Queen Emma Summer Palace. In January 2025, the Mission Houses created a full-time position for her as archival technician, and in April 2026 she was promoted to curator of collections.

“My thinking was Morgan would get a role as curator, but I was not sure how long it would take, and she might need to leave, and hopefully, could come back to Hawaiʻi,” Askman said. “She got the curator position so quickly! She had experience as an HPU student intern with the Historical Society and later interned at the Mission Houses. She had exactly what they needed as museum curator, and she was ready to excel right away.”

HPU’s partnership with The Queen’s Medical Center has created a similar pathway for nursing students. When HPU nursing students Alyssa Gabriel, Ian Canlas, Brithney Dela Cruz, and Charlenee Caraang-Gilbert completed 270 hours of precepted clinical training in the hospital’s seven-week Summer Student Nurse Internship program, Queen’s Medical Center made contingent job offers to all four student participants at the conclusion of the program.

“This internship was a great way for me to get my foot in the door at Queen’s hospital,” said Canlas. “It has allowed me to gain more confidence in my nursing skills and hopefully prepare me more for my future career as a registered nurse.”

Internships are not only key to future success in a chosen field, but they also provide a fast track to a career after graduation. According to Forbes, internships may be the “single most important factor to career success,” noting that an internship “doubles the odds that a college graduate ends up engaged in their work over their lifetime.”

That momentum carries directly into hiring and long-term retention. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), employers offered full-time jobs to 73.3% of their on-site interns and 80.5% of their virtual interns, and one-year retention rates for hires with internal internship experience range between 73% and 75%, compared to roughly 50% for those who interned elsewhere or had no internship experience.

That momentum carries directly into hiring and long-term retention. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), employers converted 63% of their interns into full-time hires, which is the highest rate in five years, and more than 75% of new hires who interned with their employer remain with the organization after one year, compared to less than 50% of hires with no internship experience.

HPU Senior Career Development Advisor Ryan Tin Loy, who has helped many HPU students take that first step, summed up the value of internships well.

“While internships can provide positive experiences for any student, internships can also serve as a critical support for students as they build and add resume depth and prepare to compete in an extremely competitive job market,” he said.

To learn more about internships and partnerships at HPU, click here.