NYU students’ next big internship may be waiting for them in a city in northeastern Oklahoma: Tulsa. Following the success of the spring semester’s pilot program at NYU Tulsa, 25 students spent the summer interning in this dynamic city.
“The internship program has definitely been one of the driving factors—from what students have shared—of why they want to come to Tulsa,” says Casey Duffy, NYU’s manager for domestic study away career development. “You have all the amenities of a large city, both from an access and cultural standpoint, but it still has the small-town feeling and connection.”
The small-town feel with big-city opportunities impressed Dhruv Patel, a Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering major at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering. He was a biochemist intern at Bioeutetics, a biotech company based in South America that has expanded to Tulsa.
“I have a lot of experience with research and lab work, but very little experience applying that lab work to the actual industry and the social impact space,” he says, noting that his internship allowed him to do so. Additionally, he was able to practice his Spanish in a professional environment. Duffy says that many industries are thriving in Tulsa, and the city has a great start-up culture as well. “Around six students were at a range of start-ups this summer focused on tech, sustainability, game design, and business,” she says. “I also think the arts and culture scene in Tulsa is both large and underrated. We had about another nine students within that realm.”
Siara Romero, a Public Policy major in the College of Arts and Science, remained in Tulsa over the summer after interning there at Metriarch, a women’s public health think tank, in the spring. Her summer internship was at the Take Control Initiative, an organization that works to remove barriers to birth control access. One highlight was a work trip to the state capital, Oklahoma City, where she met with and lobbied representatives. “I think that interning in Oklahoma has been a much more immersive experience than I would have gotten anywhere else,” Siara notes.
Sudipta Swarga, an Integrated Design and Media major at NYU Tandon, grew up in New York City and expected a significant change in landscape and culture in Oklahoma. “When I thought of Tulsa, I thought of tumbleweeds,” she says. “I was surprised to find a community here. People are really nice.” Sudipta interned at the Philbrook Museum of Art, where she worked on projects she was “super excited about,” and also was able to find a mentor. “She is the best,” Sudipta says of her internship supervisor at the museum. “If I have any questions, she’s willing to pause whatever she’s doing to help me out. We both have our geeky moments together. And it’s really nice having a supervisor listen to your ideas.”
Mentorship and collaboration were also important features of Dhruv’s internship. “My mentors are the CEOs of the company who emigrated from Argentina,” he says. “It’s more of that direct connection with your supervisor—not just some person behind an email. It allows you to really feel like you’re part of a team.”
Sudipta encourages other New Yorkers to give the city a chance. “I would definitely say come,” she states. “People always talk about the big cities: New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco—but there are so many more to explore, and Tulsa is one of them. It’s a one-of-a-kind experience that you won’t find in New York City.” An additional benefit of this unique city? Siara says she was surprised by the city’s natural beauty: “I’ve never really been a nature person. But lately I have. It’s beautiful here. There’s so much lush greenery.”
After staying in Tulsa for the summer, Siara considers returning to the city in the future. “I feel like I’m truly part of the community and am a person making a difference,” she concludes. “It’s really cemented my role in the policymaking world and what I want to do for my future.”