This summer Ashley Torres, B.S. ‘18, interned at Thomson Reuters. Read what she has to say about his internship experience:

Tell me about your summer internship experience? Where did you work and what types of projects did you work on?

This past May I started an Internship at Thomson Reuters working with the Sustainability team, which I have continued into the fall semester. It has really been one of the most valuable experiences of my life and I’ve been able to work on some amazing projects in the past four months.  
I have been able to create “ESG Cheat Sheets,” which briefly explain large sustainability topics like ‘Stranded Assets and are circulated throughout the company to create greater awareness about these topics. I also support the Thomson Reuters Sustainability site editorial team as Assistant Editor, where I update the site daily and have the privilege of editing and preparing many of our Executive Perspective pieces which feature interviews, opinion pieces and case studies from leaders and organizations across sectors on topics of sustainable development globally.
Additionally, I help to create our biweekly ESG newsletter which is circulated to a larger number of our employees and showcases news articles and internal events relating to sustainability and ESG. I love the projects I work on because they  both aligned with my interests and are valuable to the company as a whole.

What was the most valuable thing you learned at your internship?

The most valuable experience I’ve had during my time at Thomson Reuters has been attending the Concordia Summit this past week. The annual Concordia Summit is a global forum  that runs alongside the UN General Assembly week and aims to promote partnership between governments, businesses, and non-profits to address the world's most pressing needs.
As part of my work for the Sustainability Editorial team, I had the privilege of attending this event and hearing outstanding speakers like Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever, H.E. Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, President of Malta, Jennifer Lawrence, Actor and many more.
The event really opened my eyes and taught me so much more about issues like modern slavery, refugees and gender equality. I was also able assist in preparing interviews conducted by my co-worker, Sherah Beckley, Editor of Thomson Reuters Sustainability with some of the keynote speakers.
My main takeaways from this amazing experience are first, that there is so much work to be done in improving the quality of life for so many people in the world and second, that any motivated individual willing to put in the work can make a huge difference no matter their gender, race, age or any other identity.

Leaving the Concordia Summit I felt motivated to follow in the footsteps of some of these inspiring speakers and create positive change in the world. How I plan to do that is yet to be determined, but with the valuable knowledge, skills and connections I am gaining from my internship at Thomson Reuters, I feel that I am on my way.

Did your summer internship experience change your thoughts about your career trajectory moving forward?

Interning at Thomson Reuters has definitely impacted where I see my career path heading. I’ve learned about the benefits of working at a large corporation like the many resources, large networks and huge platforms that can be used to voice important information.
My time in a large corporate environment has been invaluable and I am extremely grateful for the experience. As I continue on my career path, I will take the knowledge I’ve gained with me as I explore opportunities in smaller companies. At least for the first step in my career path, I think I’d like to work for a smaller company in a sustainable industry rather than working on a sustainability team for a company in a different industry. I feel that I am well equipped to bring the knowledge I’ve gained from my time at Thomson Reuters to any company that I will work for.
I’ve also learned a lot about my work style throughout this internship, that for example, I prefer work that is focused on deliverables and deadlines and that I enjoy working on smaller teams or one on one than in larger groups. I am so grateful to have this invaluable knowledge which will greatly benefit me in my job search after undergrad and allow me to find the position that will be right for me.