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Sethulakshmi Chandrasekharan ‘28 found herself looking forward to work each morning in Singapore and understood that her motivation came not just from the meaningful work, but from the people she worked alongside.

“I was always so excited to see everyone and talk to everyone," said Chandrasekharan, a financial engineering major at Lehigh University. 

Chandrasekharan completed an eight-week internship this summer through the Iacocca International Internship Program (IIIP) working on sales and finance at Rebee Health in Singapore. The company digitalizes physiotherapy by allowing patients to receive remote treatment at home. 

IIIP, which has been providing mostly funded overseas internship opportunities to students, seeking to enhance career readiness and intercultural competency through practical work experience globally. Since 2011, the IIIP has provided nearly 900 Lehigh students with internships in 58 countries.

The program offers opportunities across all disciplines and in all regions of the world, welcoming applications from all Lehigh students. Participants work approximately 30 hours per week at global host organizations for 6 to 10 weeks between May and August. 

Nearly 70 Lehigh University students gathered for the 2025 Iacocca International Internship Showcase on Sept. 3 at the Clayton University Center, sharing stories from their transformative summer experiences. 

Chandrasekharan said the experience offered both challenges and rewards.

"I think one challenge I had was finding vegetarian food initially," she said. “I had to find a way to experience the culture while also sticking to my own values."

Despite the adjustment, Chandrasekharan praised Singapore's multicultural environment and efficient public transportation system. 

"The culture in Singapore is very blended,” Chandrasekharan said. “You'll see all of the cultures simultaneously, and all the signboards have all three languages."

Chandrasekharan traveled with fellow Lehigh students, such as a trip to Malaysia. She said she now has a community of people that are all super driven, motivated, and open minded.

“I've literally told every single one of my friends that they should apply,” Chandrasekharan said. “I genuinely think it's such an amazing experience that every Lehigh student should experience.”

Mechanical engineering major Matthew Fabian ‘27, took a different path, conducting entrepreneurship research in Lisbon, Portugal, where he was mentored by the director of a Venture Labs program.

"I was learning about the fundamentals of the business and what makes a business successful," Fabian said. His research expanded to examine research and entrepreneurship between the European Union and the U.S.

Fabian said his favorite thing about Portugal was the culture and the work-life balance. 

"They didn't live to work,” Fabian said. “They would go to work, and then when they were done, they were with their community."

Fabian said he expected to have to learn the language, but 80% of the people spoke English, so it was easy to adjust.

Leah Mason sees significant potential for the program's growth. She recently became Deputy Director and Director of International Internships at the Lee Iacocca Institute for Global Leadership, after having spent 15 years at the Institute of International Education. 

"There's so much potential within the Iacocca International Internship Program—the world is our oyster," Mason said. "There's so much potential to think about the different work-to-learn experiences for students, the ways that they can continue to develop an internship or a relationship with their organization after their internship period is over."

The IIIP team works with students before, during, and after the internship through the iiPATH curriculum.