Samantha Bernstein interns at the Aspen Institute during summer 2016

2016 Jul 26

The sea of influential people from around the world that Samantha Bernstein has seen or met this summer is too full to even begin to name them all...but here's a sampling: Steve Case, founder of AOL; Howard Schultz, founder of Starbucks; Secretary of State John Kerry; former presidential nominee Mitt Romney; former First Lady Laura Bush; Attorney General Loretta Lynch; Dr. Bennet Omalu, who first discovered and published research about traumatic brain injuries suffered by football players...and the list goes on.

The Aspen Institute internships aren't only about meeting celebrities and world influencers. They're also learning skills that will carry them from their college careers into their professional careers or graduate school.

Samantha Bernstein, a member of the class of 2017, was one of three Wofford seniors interning at the Aspen Institute this summer.

Bernstein says working for the institute's Office of Institutional Advancement, which involves contact with its most generous benefactors and planning their exclusive events, is giving her experience as a communicator and teaching her the importance of customer service. "Most importantly, my summer in Aspen has taught me the significance of always going the extra mile to ensure the satisfaction of not only the customer, but for the amazing people I work with as well." Todd works for two departments - Office Services and Aspen Community Programs.

Bernstein is majoring in psychology and minoring in philosophy.