Semiconductor Giant Visits Manning School — with Internship Opportunities in Tow
Image by Ed Brennen
09/17/2021
By Ed Brennen
For years, Heather Creelman saw her company, Analog Devices, tapping into UMass Lowell’s engineering and computer science talent, offering internships and co-ops for students and jobs for graduates.
As program and contracts manager for the $5.6 billion semiconductor company headquartered in Wilmington, Massachusetts, Creelman was interested in what UML’s business students had to offer.
So she recently helped organize the first-ever “Analog Devices Day” at the Manning School of Business, which introduced more than 200 undergraduate and graduate students to opportunities on the business side of the global company.
“This is our first time visiting a business school,” said Creelman, who led three separate panel discussions featuring eight colleagues throughout the day — two for undergraduates at Alumni Hall and one for graduate students held virtually. Students could also stop by an information table in the Colella Atrium of the Pulichino Tong Business Center.
“Corporate days like this are a big part of our Manning experience,” said Business Dean Sandra Richtermeyer. “A lot of students may be unfamiliar with some companies, so this is a chance to stop by and say hello in a casual setting. They can talk with representatives, get business cards and start to build their professional network, which is so key.”
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Christopher Brooks, a senior double-majoring in business and psychology, was admittedly unfamiliar with Analog coming into the hour-long Q&A session.
“Now I’m definitely eager to learn a lot more, especially about their opportunities globally,” the Newton, Massachusetts, native said.
Eva Wallin, a senior marketing student from Boston, said she appreciated hearing from Analog employees about what it’s like to work at the company, especially its commitment to sustainability and corporate social responsibility.
“That’s what people are really interested in when looking for a job — more than just what the company does, but what it stands for,” she said.
The Analog team brought flyers advertising a half-dozen internship opportunities, which students could learn more about by scanning a QR code with their phones.
Wallin planned to check them out.
Image by Ed Brennen
“Coming to presentations like these really helps me see what’s available,” she said. “Otherwise, I’m left to my own devices to try to find something.”
Among the guest panelists was alumna Susan Damiani ’87, facility security officer for Analog’s aerospace and defense division in Chelmsford, Massachusetts. Damiani, who majored in English and minored in economics, told students how she discovered a career writing and administering contracts.
“There’s such a big push in our industry for engineers, but we also need people on the business side: the contracts management, the overhead, the finances, things that people overlook,” said Damiani, a native of Burlington, Massachusetts, who has worked at Analog for six years.
She hoped Manning students would follow up on the opportunities — especially knowing the caliber of UML graduates.
“It was a great school that did me really well,” she said. “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t.”
A longtime corporate partner with UML, Analog recently began a fellowship program with the university to help its engineers pursue advanced degrees.