Internship Spotlight: Soumya Mannadiar

Soumya Mannadiar completed a summer internship with the Tennessee Hospital Association (THA) at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital (ETCH) in Knoxville. She worked under the supervision of Sue Wilburn, Vice President of Human Resources.

Soumya supported eight projects during her internship. The projects included analyzing employee turnover costs and employee engagement, and developing an Employee Summer Wellness Program. At the conclusion of her internship, Soumya presented her accomplishments to the THA Council that consisted of CEOs and VPs from healthcare organizations across Tennessee.

Soumya gained many valuable skills during her internship, but the most important of these was effective communication. Her involvement in projects with various departments relied heavily on her ability to communicate effectively with all team members. Soumya stated that the MHA program at UNC Charlotte well prepared her with the skills necessary to for a successful internship. The internship information session and shared experiences from second-year students helped her better understand the internship process and better anticipate what she could expect from the experience.

Soumya’s advice for future MHA students pursuing internships is, “Be proactive. Do not wait for an opportunity or project to come to you. Never say no to a project, even if you do not like it or you are not sure about how it can be done.” Soumya also advises students to, “Broaden where you look for an internship. Search for opportunities that are outside of your comfort zone.”