A summer internship that’s ranked highest in satisfaction — at J.D. Power!
This summer, a few fresh faces immersed themselves into the world of data and analytics through an internship at J.D. Power. No bagel or coffee fetching here. Our interns worked side-by-side with world-class experts in the world of research, sales, brand licensing, data analysis, marketing and more. These young people learned skills essential to their career development, while bringing a positive attitude to the workplace each day. We appreciate all the hard work put in by the Summer 2019 interns!
Here’s a closer look at the interns who soon will start leaving their mark on the professional world:
Yasmeen Kerek
Location: Troy, Michigan
University: Grand Valley State University
At J.D. Power, interns get the opportunity to gain real-world experience in a hands-on environment, giving them to the skills to succeed in the future. Just ask Yasmeen Decker, who works with our Global Research Operations team. Yasmeen gets to work with tools like SPSS and Excel, which are critical in the world of data and analytics. Every day brings something different and Yasmeen loves the perks J.D. Power offers to its employees — including Bagel Fridays and outings to Detroit Tigers games. She will be attending Grand Valley State University in the fall, where she will pursue a degree in human resource management.
Alex Cervelli
Location: Westlake Village, California
University: California Luthern University
Imagine graduating from college and receiving an opportunity to work with some of the world’s most prominent brands. Alex Cervelli, a Permissions and Brand Licensing intern, does just that. Alex attends to ad requests from the company’s roster of clients and creates sales decks, along with other pre- and post-sales support. Alex works in the Westlake Village office and graduated from California Lutheran University as a business major, with an emphasis in marketing and management.
Joey Gwisdalla
Location: Troy, Michigan
University: Western Michigan University
As an intern with the Global Research Operations team, Joey gets hands-on experience with the expansive data and surveys that are the foundation of J.D. Power. He even has the opportunity to utilize his fluency in Spanish to help translate surveys, which has been a very rewarding experience. Joey is seated in the Troy office and attends Western Michigan University where he is majoring in business analytics and marketing.
Emma Josey
Location: Westlake Village, California
University: Cal State Northridge
Imagine having the opportunity, as a senior in college, to play a pivotal role in planning a premier global networking event for the travel and hospitality industry. Emma Josey, a psychology major at Cal State Northridge, has the opportunity to bring her unique perspective on everything from researching potential speakers, working on sponsor packages, planning the conference’s agenda and much more. When she’s not in the Westlake Village office, Emma can be found furthering her education in psychology at a research lab at Cal State Northridge.
Julia DaMour
Location: Costa Mesa, California
University: Vanderbilt University
Julia DaMour is playing a central role in the marketing department at J.D. Power this summer. Julia quickly came to appreciate the art and science of marketing. Much like a sculptor, Julia carefully crafted PR and social media messaging to heighten awareness for the brand. Like a data scientist, Julia delved into marketing automation and social listening tools to monitor and analyze the results of our marketing efforts, while also optimizing SEO for our website properties. She attends Vanderbilt University and has a double major in law, history & society and English, while minoring in European studies.
Julian Busch
Location: Munich, Germany
University: University of California, Santa Barbara
For Julian Busch, his internship at J.D. Power is a mix of two of his interests: automotive and consulting. At J.D. Power, Julian gets to analyze data, supporting consultants and preparing projects for automakers. Julian is one of the few interns on our staff that is based out of Munich, Germany. He is a graduate of UC Santa Barbara with a degree in business and management.
Brendan Palkowski
Location: Troy, Michigan
University: University of Michigan School of Information
The future of automated vehicles and mobility is a hot topic, and our interns have the opportunity to face it head-on. Brendan Palkowski, a senior at the University of Michigan’s School of Information, has been hard at work on a project that hits very close to home for him. Already familiar with the Mcity Driverless shuttle on the University of Michigan’s north campus, Brendan has been applying J.D. Power’s expansive data and thought leadership on the future of mobility to making continuous improvements to the Mcity shuttle. He has found this hands-on experience invaluable as he returns in the fall to gain his B.S. degree in information.
Nhat Le
Location: Westlake Village, California
University: Cal State Long Beach
As the global leader in data analytics and consumer intelligence, J.D. Power gives interns the unique and invaluable experience of working with incredibly important data — and a lot of it! An aspiring data scientist, Nhat Le has been able to take advantage of this opportunity in our Westlake Village office. His work with data analysis here largely involves preparing codebooks for data sets, making it easier for clients to understand what the data means, and replicating some of the work that’s already been done with the data on a newer platform as the company hurtles into the future of our digital world. Nhat will continue his education in computer science as a senior this fall at Cal State Long Beach.
Emily Kern
Location: Troy, Michigan
University: Walsh College
J.D. Power surveys are at the core of the company’s business, as customers use them to voice their opinions about products and services. Emily Kern gets to play a key role on J.D. Power’s Research Design team, including assisting any of her coworkers who may need help with specific tasks, quoting verbatims and checking survey links. She has also learned experience with SPSS, an essential skill that may help her as she grows her career. Emily says her team is incredibly supportive by in teaching and explaining whatever she needs along the way. She attends Walsh College and majors in marketing.
Shirley Jiang
Location: Troy, Michigan
University: University of Michigan
Shirley Jiang had the opportunity to work with our data and analytics team this summer. She even created new decks for some of the company’s premier clients. She looks forward to taking this valuable experience with her in future career opportunities, as well as her studies. She is a data science major at the University of Michigan.
Megan Lewandowski
Location: Troy, Michigan
University: Saginaw Valley State University
While J.D. Power intern Megan Lewandowski is focused on obtaining a degree in accounting, she took the summer to jump into one of her passions: the automotive industry. Her internship goes beyond accounting, as she works with the Syndicated Deliverables and Production team. Megan creates and verifies sales collateral for different studies, where she gets to work with cutting-edge tools to analyze data. Megan is obtaining a degree in accounting with a minor in finance from Saginaw Valley State University.
Andy Jin
Location: Westlake Village, California
University: Stanford University
Imagine having a passion for computer science and having the opportunity to apply your knowledge by working with expansive, real-world data sets. Andy Jin was incredibly excited by the chance to do exactly that here at J.D. Power this summer. He couldn’t wait to dive in as the transition from traditional methods of data science to AI was picking up momentum with a talented team, giving the company a high gross potential. Andy gets to analyze huge amounts of data, interpret them with scientific and business skills, make predictions and proposals, and study the data from different perspectives. He works in the Westlake Village office and will be a sophomore at Stanford University in the fall.
