Scots In Action: 2026 Summer Internships Recap

For many students, summer is when classroom theory meets practical application. This summer, Scots completed internships in fields ranging from missions to politics to engineering. These real-world experiences broadened students' horizons, connected them to next steps, and clarified their callings.  

Missions in Madagascar

Elianna Joel '29, a double major in international studies and Covenant's poverty and development program, interned with Africa Inland Missions in Madagascar. As her team worked with a local church and practiced evangelism, they witnessed the body of Christ from a new angle: "We learned that God works in each country differently. He's uniquely present with the African church, not just in the ways we Americans assume are default."  

Though Elianna isn't sure she's called to missions specifically, she's thankful she did this internship because it opened other doors. While in Madagascar, she connected with other Americans working in government and the Peace Corps, which solidified her desire to work in development policy. She says that accepting the internship "created the space for the Lord to bless me with clarity of what He wanted me to do."

Legislation on Capitol Hill

Gabby Sumrall '28, a business major, spent six weeks in Washington, D.C. working for a state senator on Capitol Hill. Besides attending judiciary committee meetings, she wrote reports on lobbyist visits and answered phone calls from constituents. While writing and research skills she learned at Covenant were important, her marketing and management classes also prepared her "to make connections with anyone" in the fast-paced D.C. environment. These connections gave her insight on possible next steps, such as law school. "It was a good time for me to realize where I want to be and what I want to do," Gabby says. 

Civil Engineering and AI Integration

Tjabe Koenen '29, a third-year pre-engineering student, interned with Graham Engineering in Montana. "I've always liked building stuff, creating, doing stuff with my hands," he says. "In this internship, I discovered that civil engineering was what I wanted to do because I could actually build things and see all my hard work come to fruition." Besides designing sites for tire stores and a sewer main, Tjabe was tasked with integrating an AI model into the company's workflow, which involved writing a company AI policy. "A lot of Covenant's core humanities and theology courses helped me really understand how to interact with AI," Tjabe reflects. "I was able to approach it from a Christian worldview and analyze how we can incorporate it as Christians." For Tjabe, this was "a dream first internship."

Whether in D.C., Montana, or Madagascar, Scots are gaining valuable field experience and developing a vision of faithful work wherever they're called after graduation.   

Learn more about Covenant's career development opportunities: Center for Calling & Career.