Logan Neal ’27 Expands Professional & Personal Skills During Donor Relations Internship

Music major Logan Neal ’27 was offered an opportunity during the summer of 2025 as a Donor Relations Student Assistant at Converse University. Neal had previously served Converse’s Department of Institutional Advancement as a student worker for two semesters.

The internship, overseen by Converse’s Advancement Services team, supported the ongoing Legacy File Project. Neal updated alumni profiles in the University’s alumni and donor database, and assisted with stewardship initiatives. Read more from Logan about how this experience expanded their understanding of how various departments work together to make higher education and non-profit institutions successful.

“From May to August 2025, I was granted the opportunity to take on a project with the Institutional Advancement team at Converse. I had worked as a student worker for them in the previous two semesters, and had a good understanding of Advancement-related tasks, more specifically in Donor Relations.

“This internship taught me how of how different departments work together to make [Converse] successful.”

Logan Neal ’27

The summer project was slightly different from what I had spent the school year doing, as this project was more archival work than anything. Sometimes, it did feel like I was just going through endless stacks of transcripts, getting graduation years, majors, birthdays, and really just any information that was available into the system. By doing so, I feel that I gained knowledge of the critical steps that go into making the Advancement Team successful.

In a strange way, this internship also helped me grow as a person. I had never lived away from home during the summer before. I came to Converse with my best friend, so I never really felt alone. Over the summer, however, the campus was eerily quiet. I learned how to live by myself. I learned how to cook, better self-regulate and that it’s ok to spontaneously take yourself out for lunch or dinner.

This internship taught me how of how different departments work together to make [Converse] successful. This knowledge, combined with the skiils I acquired living on my own, makes me feel as if I am now prepared to go on to employment at a non-profit after graduation. I’ve even considered going to graduate school out of the country, now that I know I can handle things by myself. I am extremely grateful for the opportunities that Converse has given me to grow.”