Global learning offers students formative London internship

Internship program helps students grow professionally as well as personally in international experience.

By Sophia Skelton  |  03/24/2026

Since 1996, Lipscomb University’s Global Learning program has provided opportunities for students to learn and grow holistically through its three-month programs in Vienna, Florence and London. But in 2021, Lipscomb launched another global opportunity, the London internship program, allowing students to grow professionally as well as personally, to gain international expertise and earn credit towards their degree.

Internships are offered in partnership with AES, an education abroad provider that specializes  in international study and London-based placement opportunities. Through AES, internships are available for many majors at a variety of organizations. Social work students can gain experience in a specialized field, a technology student could work at a financial start-up, media marketing majors can intern at a fashion house, or theatre students could intern with Central London Theatre, to name just a few examples.

“Getting this international internship is something that will differentiate students seeking that first internship or first job in Nashville,” said Makala Marsee, Lipscomb’s global learning programs coordinator, who was also the first Lipscomb student to participate in the London internship program as a marketing intern at a fashion house in 2021. “It’s something that very much stands out.”

Marsee said that students work with experts in their vocation as well as co-workers from many parts of the world, making the London internship a truly cross-cultural experience.

Since it began, the program has been steadily growing, with eight students having completed the program as a part of their Lipscomb educational journey:

• Makala Marsee (BA ’22), Raishma
• Kara Burleson (BBA ’24, MAcc ’25), Finance Department at Royal Lancaster London
• Elizabeth Swaw (BA ’23), Westminster City Archives
• Renae Redling (BA ’24), Arcturus Publishing
• Grace Horner, Debbie Flevotomou Architects
• Levi Branan, RIX Inclusive Research
• McKinley Fulford, Broadley TV
• Liv Smith, Vintage Threads

For Swaw, a history major, the London internship offered her a second opportunity to study abroad. “I was in awe of how history came alive there,” she said, “and I wanted to go back and learn how they were able to do that so well.”

After her first semester in London, which led her to declare history as her major, she returned to intern at the Westminster City Archives. The trip opened her eyes to what it takes to succeed in her career, led her to develop a sense of purpose professionally and increased her understanding of how dynamic a job in public history can be, she said.

During the semester, interns live in flats with the other students completing the semester-long Lipscomb in London program. Their week is split between two full days at their placement and class twice a week.

“Each semester abroad program introduces students and interns alike to a curriculum that highlights experiential learning as a transformative opportunity,” said Kate Minchew, director of global learning.
 

Independent travel is another valuable part of this program’s international education, said Minchew.With other Global Learning students, Smith traveled to Wales, Switzerland, Italy and Germany, as well as several other cities in the United Kingdom.

“I traveled with almost every single person in the study abroad group,” said Smith, a marketing major. “It's fun getting to know everyone in the group.”

Smith said her internship at Vintage Threads, a designer vintage clothing store, was the perfect mix of marketing and fashion merchandising, making it her dream internship. The experience allowed her to learn about international business operations through working in influencer outreach. In the store, she filmed content, unboxed shipments, worked on pitch decks and prepared clothes for display.

Each internship is made possible through Lipscomb’s partnership with AES. That partnership makes for a smoother placement process, said Marsee, even for students with unique interests, such as Branan, a mechanical engineering major interested in robotics who was placed with a company that develops assistive devices for those with physical disabilities.

“It was so helpful to have that guidance, especially going abroad in general, it's a lot,” said Smith of AES’s role in the process. “It's a lot of paperwork, a lot of documentation… but the way AES walks alongside each student is really great.”

Developing a newfound independence, building co-worker relationships, cultivating community, managing her time well and implementing intentional communication skills are some of the ways this trip contributed to her personal growth, said Smith.

“I have never grown so much as a person in the span of three months,” she said.

Interning at Debbie Flevotomou Architects, Horner, a fashion and merchandising major, designed digital materials for sustainable architecture projects. In addition to formatting lectures, speeches and project bids, she also built a professional communication network to promote exhibit collaboration with designers.

“The stress and rigor are unlike anything I had experienced before,” said Horner. “I was able to stretch and understand my strength and boundaries within a work environment.”

The demanding nature of the 90-day internship program benefits students’ development of key workplace skills while they are also studying in a new culture, said Marsee. Students shared how the combination of working and studying abroad built skills such as time management, independence, work ethic, professional standards, soft skills and a deeper understanding of themselves.

For Redling, a previous editorial intern and now a graduate student at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, her role helped her decide what to look for during the hiring process and guided what kind of publishing she was interested in pursuing.

“The internship program in London definitely helped me grow my confidence, which helps me succeed in the classroom,” said Redling. “Learning how to navigate a new city requires quite a bit of faith in yourself, and you develop a sort of resourcefulness. The same goes for navigating an office in a new city and different culture. You have to learn to ask questions, be resourceful and trust yourself.”

The global learning internship has proven to be a valuable distinction on her resume, said Burleson, an accounting major. “Every interview I’ve had since, …the London internship is the first thing I’m asked about,” said Burleson, whose experience helped her prepare for graduate school and studying for the CPA exam.

“People, including employers, are interested to see the type of adaptability and life experience that come from an international internship,” said Burleson. “The soft skills you gain just by going make you stand out.”