Mechanical engineering student Brandon Henry has spent his summer as a Global Supply Intern for Pfizer.  

Working outside of the typical mechanical engineering field, Brandon shares how he acquired his internship and what students can expect from their future internship experience. 

College of Engineering: What organization are you interning for this summer and what is your role? 

Brandon Henry: I work at Pfizer. Pfizer is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies, most known for their covid-19 vaccine. However, they produce a lot of other vaccines and drugs, like Zoloft and Viagra.  

COE: What does your average workday look like? 

BH: My workday changes rapidly depending on what’s going on at the site. I work at one of our manufacturing sites that develops a plethora of drugs, so depending on what’s going on, I need to be flexible. Sometimes, I’ll be in the lab preparing lab batches, sometimes I’ll be on the Manufacuring floor working on operations, or sometimes I’ll be in the office space working on Protocols. There is always the typical office/internship work, like teams' meetings (a lot) and working on your project, but being at a site lets you see the process making life-saving medicine and being hands-on on that process.  

COE: What do you enjoy the most about your internship? 

BH: I really appreciate the amount of knowledge this internship has given me. I had zero prior experience in the pharma industry, I haven’t taken any bioengineering courses yet and so this was a completely unique experience for me. Since arriving here, I’ve learned so much about Pfizer but just the medicine manufacturing process from start to finish. The site I work at has everything necessary to create medicine, from formulation to filling to finishing, so seeing and understanding that process has been enjoyable.  

COE: How did you learn about this internship opportunity and prepare for the application process? 

BH: I’m part of an organization called INROADS. It’s a non-profit that works to create pathways to internships and careers for college students and high schoolers. Once I became a fully-fledged inroads scholar, because there is an application process, I was able to access their database of internships. They matched me with Pfizer due to my background in engineering and helped me throughout the application process. I also did my own research on Pfizer projects, their mission statement and their values.  

COE: What courses do you feel most prepared for your internship? 

BH: I would honestly say classes that involve group projects helped prepare me the most for my internship. Nothing I do is isolated, so learning the softer skills of working with others and collaborating played a key role in preparing me for this internship. Specifically, the Machine Shop course where it was mostly one massive group project at the end of the year, and even intro to engineering, working with other students to try and solve real world problems.  

COE: How do you think you’ve grown as an engineer during your internship? 

BH: I think I’ve become a more wholistic engineer. As someone who is a mechanical engineering major, the internship I’m in is very different than the standard mechanical engineering internship. Through this, I’ve been able to diversify my skillset and my understanding of engineering. The problem-solving skills have become way more important to me than the more technical skills.  

COE: What advice do you have for students trying to secure an internship or who may be starting an internship for the first time? 

BH: Definitely look into INROADS!!! Aside from that, I would say to just keep being intentional with your application and college career. While there is a lot of luck involved for securing internships, if you’re intentional throughout the process and application, you’ll do great. You don’t need years of experience or a perfect GPA, as long as you can tell your story well, show what you have been working on and show a strong passion for learning. In terms of specifics, try to be more involved in leadership either in organizations or in your projects, do research on the company and try to get a letter of recommendation from either a teacher, employer, etc.  

Also, as someone who is a Mechanical Engineer working at a pharmaceutical company, don’t let majors or skills dictate what you want to do. Especially as an intern, most companies are looking for people who are willing to learn rather than someone with more technical skills. So don’t get discouraged!!