Summer Abroad 2023 Spotlight: FIT Student Nicholas Alexis

Students who study abroad in one of FIT’s 60 international programs consistently say it was one of the most meaningful and exciting experiences of their lives. It also helps guide their plans after FIT: 70% of students who study abroad credit the program with sparking their career interests.

This summer we interviewed a current FIT student from the Jay and Patty Baker School of Business and Technology about their summer internship experience. Nicholas Alexis, Advertising and Marketing Communications ’25, talked about the pleasures of working and learning alongside FIT classmates in London.

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This is my team for our final project, which was to develop a tourism campaign for Brighton Beach in London, my group won and received our own London-themed snow globe!

This picture is of the whole class on our first field trip in London to Hampton Court Palace!

This is one of my favorite pictures. It showcases the London eye lit up at night during Gay Pride Month!

Part of our study abroad program was to see how different media is in the U.K. compared to the U.S. This is us reading their newspapers.

Of course we had various photoshoots around London since we are creative students of FIT. This is the behind the scenes of one.

Every week our professor would cook us a delicious home cooked meal for the class and this is our first class meal together while we also celebrated my birthday!

This is our first night staying in the student apartments together. We decided to make it Pizza Night and we all created our own pizza!

This is a picture of my roommates and I on the London Eye. We took a boat tour under the London Bridge right after!

This is me in front of the iconic Big Ben clock tower and is one of many photo shoots we had in London.

This is one of my roommates, Tiffany. We couldn’t go to London without taking an awesome photo in one of the hundreds of telephone booths!

Where did you intern?

I had the privilege of interning at Mindshare, a prominent global media and marketing company operating under the umbrella of the WPP Group, the world’s largest conglomerate in the advertising agency realm. It was based in the vibrant city of London, situated on the banks of the Thames River, right next to the iconic London Bridge. I was fortunate enough to immerse myself in this dynamic environment for a significant period.

How would you describe your experience? What did you get out of it?

When my friends and classmates would ask me what it was like at my internship, I told them it felt like I was interning at Google. I was surrounded by a bunch of young like-minded individuals with access to state-of-the-art technology while working with world-renowned brands on marketing campaigns. The experience perfectly aligned with the preparation I received at FIT.

What was the most challenging aspect of your internship?

Working in the global division of Mindshare. It also became my biggest takeaway. Learning how to not just promote and create campaigns for the United States but to discover how different countries and markets operate. 

Were there any surprises about the culture of where you were located or the internship itself?

Growing up in NYC, I have always been surrounded by various cultures, and London was no different. The one thing that surprised me was how influential American culture is there. From the music to the fast food restaurants, and of course the countless New York Yankees shirts I saw there. 

Learn more about the short-term study abroad internship and programs. Winter session’s deadline is September 21!