Summer Internship Spotlight: Briana Hart, Merck

Briana Hart knows the value of securing a successful internship. The biology major has had her heart set on Merck for the past few years. And this summer, she finally got her foot in the door. 

“Getting the internship at Merck was actually a little bit of a shock,” says Hart ’22. “I had been applying the past two years and finally I had built my resume up and really fine tuned practicing for the interview. This ended up becoming a dream of mine.” 

Hart joined the Association for Women in Science (AWIS) to help boost her resume. She also found support from Women for DeSales, a philanthropic giving circle that aids underfunded or unfunded programming and projects across campus. The group awarded Hart a stipend for the summer. 

“The stipend was definitely huge in helping me be comfortable with accepting the internship,” she says. “It took a lot off of me. Now I don’t have to work two jobs this summer, which is amazing.” 

Hart’s internship centers on the clinical supply redesign team. Her biggest task involves reviewing market supply regulatory requirements, discussing her findings with the team, and then drafting a development quality standard. She’s also working on a database rollout and simplifying the resources and tools used by the team.

Though the internship is being done remotely, Hart’s manager and mentor have both taken the time to ensure she’s getting the best experience possible. She’s gotten to tour Merck’s laboratories online and meet with the vaccine team to learn about the work it’s doing during the pandemic. Hart also credits her time at Merck with helping to cement her future career path in the pharmaceutical industry. 

“Internships open your eyes to what the real workforce is like and what you should be expecting when you’re going to grad school or just leaving undergrad. It’s a valuable experience to be able to have the networking skills, the soft skills, and everything that comes with the job experience through the internship.”