Category: Student Story

Participating in a mathematics program with 36 other undergraduate students at the University of California, Los Angeles, Luther College senior, Onward Mahachi, of Chaona, Zimbabwe, served as an intern with Google Venice. Mahachi, the son of Jaqualine Mahachi and the late Duncan Mahachi, is a graduate of United World College in Waterford Kamhlaba, South Africa. He plans to graduate from Luther in spring 2018 with a major in mathematics.

Working behind the scenes to facilitate business productivity, Luther senior Duc Le of Vietnam, spent this summer as a data science intern at DECO Products in Decorah, Iowa. A 2014 graduate of Le Hong Phong High School, Le is the son of Van Luc of Ho Chi Minh City. He will graduate from Luther in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in data science.

Exploring the field of public health, Hanna Christopher of Reinbeck, Iowa, spent her summer as an intern at Regional Health Services of Howard County, Iowa. Christopher, daughter of Carol Christopher and Phil Chien of Cedar Falls, Iowa, and Bruce Christopher of Burr Oak, Iowa, graduated from Gladbrook-Reinbeck High School in 2015. She plans to graduate from Luther in 2019 with a major in health and fitness promotion and a minor in management.

Drawing from his interests in public speaking and advocacy for disability rights, Luther sophomore Mikayel Simonyan of Tavush, Armenia, spent the summer as an intern at Bridge of Hope in Ijevan, Armenia.

Luther junior Madeline McLean, of Des Moines, served as a summer intern at the Patchwork Green and River Root farms.

Luther sophomore Trevor Phillips, of Decorah, Iowa, spent the summer as an intern at Oneota Valley Family Eye Care. His internship consisted of observing and shadowing professionals in a successful non-corporate optometry setting and working with patients as a prescreening technician.

Luke Pulliam, Luther College senior, interned with IowaWORKS, assisting displaced workers and young adults with employment barriers. He helped them find unemployment insurance, gave assessments to pinpoint career opportunities, referred them to jobs and established plans of action for each person.

Developing information technology skills while also taking financial structure courses and job shadowing, Luther senior Charles Mugwagwa spent his summer as an intern with the Cambridge Investment Research, Inc., in Fairfield, Iowa.

Savannah Hartman, Luther College senior, worked for the Northeast Iowa Area Agency on Aging in Waterloo, Iowa, for her summer internship. Specifically, she worked in the Elder Abuse Awareness and Prevention program. The daughter of Jeff and Jen Hartman of Cedar Falls, Iowa, Hartman graduated from Cedar Falls High School. She plans to graduate from Luther in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in social work.

Sthela Gun Holly Hanitrinirina, Luther College junior, was the Research and Evaluation intern for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s Global Mission unit in Chicago, Illinois. She facilitated conversations on gender justice within the Global Mission unit, which will contribute to the 2019 ELCA Churchwide Assembly.