Felix is a former intern with Next Step Connections. Next Step Connections (NSC) is an international organization that offers internships in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Beijing. NSC offers internship opportunities to a wide-range of applicants with interests in a number of different industries.

1. Can you please tell us where you are from and what college you are attending?

I was born in San Francisco but was raised in Southern California for most of my childhood before attending UC Berkeley for my undergraduate degree.


My major was Computational Engineering Science. After completing my undergraduate degree, I enrolled and completed a Corporate Finance Certificate course at Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley and began full-time work with IBM as a software engineer. Currently I am pursuing my Master’s in Business Administration at Carnegie Mellon’s Tepper School of Busines.

2. How did you hear about Next Step Connections?

As an MBADiversity Fellow, several cohorts of mine had the opportunity to participate in a Global Immersion Module, where we traveled to Shanghai, China and pursued internships with Next Step Connections, a non-profit organization designed to offer internship opportunities to college graduate and professionals.

3. Was it difficult obtaining an internship through Next Step Connections?

Obtaining the internship with Next Step Connections was setup through the organization of the Global Immersion Module, thus, as a fellow to the MBADiversity organization, we had no part in setting up the internship with Next Step Connections.

4. What country are you from and what is your major?

Born and raised in the US, but of Nigerian decent.

5. What type of internship did you complete with Next Step?

I worked for a high tech consulting start-up company.

6. Did you have a choice of internships to choose from with Next Step Connections?

Next Step Connections offered an internship opportunity for me to intern with a high tech consulting start-up company called Eight Mouths.

7. How do you feel your internship prepared you for the real world after college?

After completing my undergraduate degree, I began a full-time position with IBM and since then, have had exposure to the real world. The internship gave me a much broader perspective of global business and how companies conduct business between each other at the international level.

8. Did the internship meet your personal and professional expectations?

Yes, the internship met my professional expectations.

9. Would you recommend Next Step Connections to a friend? Completely.

10.What do you feel is the best thing about doing an internship abroad?

From my experience, I feel that the exposure of immersing one’s self into a country and exposing one’s self to a culture outside their own is a once in a life time experience.

Be sure to check out Samantha and Jonathan's internship experience with Next Step Connections as well.

Jerome Le Carrou, Director of Next Step Connections, talks more about the organization and its mission.