Football, Insurance, the Aviary: Three Chatham Students’ 2025 Summer Internships
From left: Ta’Niya-Marie Nored ’26, Cassie Hoffman ’26, and Ella McDermott ’25
Every summer, Chatham University undergraduates set up shop at an internship, where they gain experience working alongside professionals and earn credits towards their degrees.
This summer, Pulse spoke to three students: one who works at the nation’s largest indoor aviary, another who does marketing for a local insurance company, and yet another who’s assisting with summer camps hosted by a Rust Belt NFL team.
Ta’Niya-Marie Nored poses for a photo on a football field in Michigan. (Courtesy of Taniya-Marie Nored)
Ta’Niya-Marie Nored ’26
Majors: Marketing and film & digital technology
Internship: Detroit Lions — Football Education Intern
Ta’Niya-Marie Nored was born and raised in Detroit, where she’d immerse herself in the city’s music, food, and art. Every summer, she looked forward to the Afro Nation music festival.
This summer, she’s back in her hometown and traveling throughout the state of Michigan as the football education intern for the Detroit Lions. “It’s definitely been exciting to just see the state of Michigan and what it’s like in the different communities around it,” she says.
But when it was time for her to go to college, she knew she wanted to study somewhere outside of Michigan. Chatham was the place. “I really felt a pull towards Pittsburgh,” she says. “It’s very similar to Detroit. I won’t say it’s exactly alike, but it’s very similar as far as the lifestyle I’m used to living in the city.”
A squash player since the fifth grade, she was also interested in Chatham’s squash program. Now, after three years on the team, it’s become a place where she feels like she can be herself thanks to the camaraderie between her teammates, who come from a diverse set of cultures and backgrounds.
“We’ll celebrate each other’s different holidays that come up during the school year,” she says.
Nored came onboard with the Lions after applying for several internships and receiving lots of rejections. But, with some encouragement from her professors, she kept trying.
“When I was applying for stuff, I was applying for titles like ‘marketing internship’ or ‘digital video internship,’” she says. “I didn’t know if the [Lions] internship would be for me or if I would be a competitive candidate. I just kind of said ‘Why not?’ and applied to it.”
There are connections to her majors though; with the Lions, she gets to work on social media, assisting coordinators as they showcase their youth sports programs across different platforms.
“We do anything and everything that involves making sure these summer camps happen and that we give these kids the best possible experience that we can,” Nored says.
But the best parts for her are the people she works alongside and the kids they work with. “Watching the kids come excited every day to camp, it really fuels the fire in me to make sure I’m doing my job, because I see what I’m doing is impacting a kid.”
Cassie Hoffman poses for a photo outside the National Aviary on Pittsburgh’s North Side. (Mick Stinelli)
Cassie Hoffman ’26 – National Aviary
Major: Environmental science
Internship: National Aviary – Philanthropy Intern
Cassie Hoffman used to go to the National Aviary on Pittsburgh’s North Side about twice a year. This summer, she spends three days a week there, working in the country’s largest indoor aviary as a philanthropy intern.
And every time she’s there, she plays a little game with herself, seeking out the sloth in the rainforest habitat.
“I’ve gotten pretty good at it,” she says. “He’s usually in one of three spots.”
Majoring in environmental science at Chatham, Hoffman gained experience doing research with Jill Riddell, assistant professor of environmental science. That background set her up as a good candidate for the philanthropy internship at the Aviary, where she does grant research and goes on donor tours.
“They have me do a lot of conservation research, because I am more knowledgeable on conservation,” she says. Her understanding of science writing and jargon made her particularly valuable to the philanthropy department, where many employees don’t have a background in environmental science.
“It can kind of be difficult to see where that applies for jobs, especially when you may not necessarily see yourself having a career in research or research in a scientific setting,” Hoffman says. “And it's been really interesting to connect my research abilities to researching grants, and scientific writing is very similar to grant writing.
“I think a lot of my classes have helped me, at the very least, to teach me how to do proper research,” she says. “And to tell me how to write a paper, and that's so helpful to so many different careers.” She says the position has made her want to continue working in nonprofits and philanthropy.
The best part? Just being at the Aviary, she says.
“Being at a desk can be really tiring sometimes,” Hoffman says. “It can hurt your back and hurt your spirit a little bit. But it really makes it all worth it to just be at the Aviary. You know, it's such an incredible place and beautiful, and I do actually really enjoy the work I do there.”
Ella McDermott stands for a photo at her cubicle. (Courtesy of Ella McDermott)
Ella McDermott ’25 – Henderson Brothers
Major: Business marketing
Internship: Henderson Brothers – Marketing Intern
Ella McDermott was drawn to Chatham for its beautiful Shadyside Campus and its location in the City of Pittsburgh. Thanks to her proximity to Downtown and the North Shore, she’s already working at her third internship.
After spending a summer working with Aramark at PNC Park, where the Pirates play, and Flying Scooter Productions, a brand strategy and production company, she started working this summer at Henderson Brothers. It’s an insurance company headquartered in the Central Business District. There, she works with the company’s in-house marketing department.
“I really have been learning so much about marketing, and not really like creative marketing, but more like strategy, which I feel like I was kind of lacking in,” she says. She also helps with event management, social media, outreach, and more.
Working downtown has its own benefits, with plenty of nearby options for lunch and an easy commute thanks to public transit, which she can use for free as a student at Chatham. “I do really appreciate the free transportation,” she says.
At Chatham, McDermott is part of the Chatham Marketing Association, where she’s been able to get to know the faculty at the School of Business & Enterprise. “I've never really came across a professor that I have had a really bad experience with at Chatham,” she says.
“That's another thing I love [about Chatham]. Everyone is so nice and willing to help you, and just that small school setting, that one-on-one connection you will have with your professors—you’re not getting that at a big school.”
Visit Chatham’s Instagram for more videos showcasing students’ summer internships.
Learn more about career development at Chatham University at chatham.edu.