For 20 years, Terriers have been exploring career paths, exchanging ideas and taking in stunning views through the Aspen Institute Summer Internship program.
This summer, Aspen gave Patrick Green ’27 hands-on experience and industry knowledge for his future career.
Green, a computer science major from Beech Island, South Carolina, was part of the information technology team for Aspen Words, a program within the institute that hosts conferences and provides educational opportunities for writers. He maintained a mobile app and helped built a website for the Summer Words Writers Conference.
“It was very rewarding to see how everyone was interacting with the website and how useful it was to the event,” says Green, who works on the information security team at Wofford and plans to pursue postgraduate studies in cybersecurity. “Doing real work and getting to see the impact gave me a lot of confidence in my abilities.”
Each summer, Wofford sends students like Green to the Aspen Institute, a nonprofit organization that promotes dialogue, leadership and action to address global challenges. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the organization hosts the annual Aspen Ideas Festival at its campus in Aspen, Colorado, where leaders in technology, media, science and finance speak on developments in their fields.
Green’s favorite part of the experience was hearing from industry leaders who came to speak at the Ideas Festival.
“I got to hear from leaders at companies like Google and Lockheed Martin, which really broadened by understanding of what is going on in technology,” he says.
Former trustee Michael S. Brown ’76 sponsors Wofford students to complete the Aspen program each year, providing funding for travel, housing, meals and activities. Participants — usually rising seniors — are selected based on applications, cover letters and interviews with Wofford alumni who also completed the internship. Green, Gigi Smigel ’27, Ava Cox ’27 and Matt Myers ’27 were the 2026 cohort.
“It is amazing that we have been sending students to Aspen for two decades,” says Curt McPhail ’96 executive director of the Career Center. “Mike’s vision and generosity are shining examples for Wofford. When I visited Aspen this summer, all of the Wofford students were grateful for the impact this program is having on them.”
While Cox also worked for Aspen Words, coordinating VIP guests for Summer Words and organizing an annual fundraiser that raised a record-breaking dollar amount, Smigel and Myers worked in conference services, where they assigned staff to festival venues, coordinated logistics, supported local volunteers and worked events at the Ideas festival.
Smigel, a finance major and business and environmental studies double minor from Alexandria, Virginia, says the projects she got to work on at Aspen helped her determine what she wants in a career.
“Every task, event and day was different,” she says. “While I am still figuring out what I want to do after graduation, my experience at Aspen showed me that I enjoy work that is fast-paced, collaborative and always changing.”
When they weren’t working, the group got to explore the Colorado mountains
“Thanks to Mr. Brown’s generous support, we started the summer with cliff jumping, hiking, whitewater rafting, paragliding and fly fishing, and we ended it with a road trip to Denver to see Darius Rucker preform at Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre,” says Smigel.
Green was especially grateful for the time to get to know the rest of the group.
“I did not know any of the other Wofford students before Aspen, but we got together for weekly lunches and dinners and have built a great bond,” he says. “I couldn’t ask for a better group of people with whom to share this experience.”
To read a first-hand account of the students’ Aspen adventure, click here.