What Do MBA Interns Actually Do? These Rice Students Break It Down

What’s one of the best ways MBA students can explore new industries and apply classroom concepts to real-world business problems? Summer internships. At Rice Business, nearly all Full-Time MBA students do a summer internship, and return the next semester with fresh insights and a stronger network. The best part? Most of these opportunities are fostered through the Rice Business community.

We caught up with five Full-Time MBA students from the Class of 2026 to learn how these roles are helping them grow as leaders.
 

Isamar Lopez-Veracruz

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Internship Company: JP Morgan Chase  
Internship Department: Corporate challenge product team, Customer acquisition marketing platforms 
Internship Location: Plano, TX

Isamar Lopez-Veracruz entered Rice Business looking for a career pivot, and she took advantage of MBA networking opportunities to secure a summer internship with JP Morgan Chase. Through the company’s rotational program, she was placed with the product tech team, where she documented project workflows and collaborated with stakeholders to develop a go/no-go strategy for a new global lead acquisition feature.

When diving into recruitment, Lopez-Veracruz encourages prospective MBAs to keep an open mind. “I didn’t think I’d be considered for JP Morgan Chase because of my non-traditional background, but they were genuinely interested in fresh perspectives and people who are eager to learn,” she says. 

Continue reading about her experience here.

Jason Liu

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Internship Company: Coflux Purification
Internship Department: Strategy and business development
Internship Location: Houston, TX

Jason Liu used a home-field advantage to secure his summer internship. After connecting with Coflux Purification co-founder Dana Vazquez and fellow team members at Rice Business, Liu knew that this was the perfect opportunity to see strategy in action at an early-stage startup.

Bringing in his experience as a consultant at Deloitte, Liu’s internship focused on financial modelling and budgeting, as well as market potential assessment, to help the team establish projections and target high-priority customers. Liu’s favorite part of the internship? “Hands down: the open, trusting environment and the people,” he says. 

Read more about Liu's internship with Coflux.

Viraf Nariman

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Internship Company: HPE
Internship Department: Finance
Internship Location: Houston, TX

For Viraf Nariman, it was a Partio, or "party on the patio" for the Rice MBA community, that opened the door to an internship opportunity with Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE). After attending a sponsored event, meeting recruiters and eventually interviewing, he secured a role in finance.

Between the day-to-day forecasting and performance monitoring, Nariman dove into one main summer project: analyzing order backlogs to find info about potential revenue roadblocks. As one of his first steps toward a career in tech, this internship connected him with lifelong mentors at HPE — many of whom were Rice MBAs themselves. “The MBA experience is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to explore new careers and industries,” he says. “Make sure you take advantage of it!” 

Learn more about Nariman's MBA journey here.

Sierra Fredenrich

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Internship Company: Microsoft    
Internship Department: Commercial cloud and AI
Internship Location: Seattle, WA

Just as she began her MBA last August, Sierra Fredenrich applied for an internship with Microsoft — spending weeks mock interviewing with the Career Development Office (CDO) to prepare as much as possible. She landed a role as a product marketing manager and traveled up to Washington state, where she spent her summer researching market positioning, product sentiment and user experience to ultimately deliver a presentation — which will guide future strategy development at Microsoft.

Her advice for prospective MBAs? Remember your “why.” “There were times I thought, ‘This just isn’t for me…,’ when networking with certain firms, until I interviewed with Microsoft,” Fredenrich says. “The right role will come along, and everything will fall into place.”

Read more about her summer internship here.

Asari Yahata

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Internship Company: Campbell’s Company
Internship Department: Brand management
Internship Location: New Jersey

Career pivoter Asari Yahata took to Owl Careers to find the right summer internship for her goals — using her strong skills in critical thinking, problem-solving and teamwork to secure a position with Campbell’s. As one of six MBA brand management summer interns at the company, she was assigned ownership of a $650 million brand for which she conducted market research, performed deep data analysis and collaborated with cross-functional teams to identify future growth opportunities.

Crediting her MBA curriculum with helping her confidently solve real-world problems, a highlight of her internship was presenting strategic recommendations to vice presidents and brand managers at the end of the summer. To future MBAs, Yahata says, “Stay humble, keep a positive mindset and embrace the experience as part of your life journey.”

Learn more about Yahata's internship and journey here.

Whether you’re looking to pivot into a new industry or take your expertise to the next level, summer internships are the perfect way to grow your network and skill set. With a dedicated community by your side and opportunities to connect with top recruiters, Rice Business is the place to begin your career transformation.
 

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