How to prepare for your internship
Sometimes a stepping-stone to a full-time role, internships are a great way to gain experience in your desired occupation. Walgreens offers a variety of internship opportunities across different business areas. Former Walgreens interns and current team members Betsy Riley, Peter Atsaves, Diana Ashbery, and Beau Tiger reflect on their internships with Walgreens and provide insight on how to best prepare for the intern experience.
Despite the different teams and career timelines between Riley, Atsaves, Ashbery and Tiger, they all shared similar sentiments when asked how to prepare for an internship. Their first piece of advice is to take initiative.
Riley began her career with Walgreens as a Merchandising intern during the summer of 2022. When asked for tips for future interns, Riley emphasized the importance of requesting help if unsure about something. “It might feel daunting to ask an abundance of questions to your manager or mentor, but this is the only way that you will learn in your role,” Riley says.
Another useful tip for a successful internship is to take advantage of networking and build connections during the program. “Make all the connections you can! When I do not know the answer to a question, I use the network I started building as an intern to help me,” Riley says.
Peter Atsaves feels similarly. Atsaves interned during the summer of 2022 on the Speech Science and Conventional AI team and advises interns to learn as much as possible from mentors and colleagues. Additionally, Atsaves says, “Networking and going to social events with the other interns makes the experience a lot more fun.”
Photo: Betsy Riley and OneX project team.
Finally, Ashbery and Atsaves both recommend having fun and enjoying the work you are doing. A positive attitude will leave a lasting impression on your managers and team members. Ashbery, who interned in the summer of 2002 on the merchandising team in Southern California, says to “find joy and purpose in the work you do.” Being excited about your work will show in your final product and will also help you build your network.
Similarly to Ashbery, Tiger, a 2003 business management intern in Ohio emphasized the benefits of the positive attitude he demonstrated during his internship. Positivity is something that Tiger still practices today in his role as Director of Pharmacy and Retail Operations.
Photo: Diana Ashbery at a management seminar in 2007.
Our 10-week internship program offers an immersive experience providing students with hands-on learning, mentorships and valuable networking opportunities. Applications for our summer 2026 internship program will open this fall. If you’re interested in joining our team or learning more about beginning your career at Walgreens, visit jobs.walgreens.com/students to stay up to date with our job openings.
