Global Spotlight: Abby Olson '26 Intern

Abby Olson '26 (BSBA MIS) interned at Penya.ai in Barcelona, Spain.

If you worked on a big project during your internship, please describe what you did to help.

I worked as a strategy intern for Penya.ai, which can be described as Yelp, Google Maps, and TripAdvisor all together, specifically for English-speaking expats. It’s designed to help expats feel like locals in their new city, accommodating broad and niche requests. The platform was still in its Alpha stage/launch, meaning I was a tester. We wanted to figure out the best way to drive incentives for users to keep returning to the app – even while they were still on a waitlist. I came up with the entire gamification of the app pre-launch, post-launch, and ongoing to keep users engaged and be able to expand into new cities. It was such a fun and unique experience that my boss gave me a lot of freedom with, and in the end very rewarding to see my boss agree with my ideas. 

What did you find most challenging about your internship? 

The most challenging thing about my internship would probably be the cultural differences and utilizing my cultural intelligence. Here in the US, we are very fast-paced, have strict deadlines & clear guidelines, and “live to work”. In Europe, they take their time, give more freedom, and “work to live”. Coming from my first semester at Eller, it was a challenge to let myself adapt to this cyclical mindset. Once I adjusted, I appreciated it and enjoyed going with their flow.

What advice do you have for other students that are also considering interning abroad? 

Do it!! Even if it’s scary, even if your friends aren’t doing it, even if you’re missing a sibling’s milestones (This is the boat I was in!). You have a new version of yourself waiting to be stepped into, you have tons of new friends to meet, and you need to live your life for YOU. I felt really stuck at the end of my semester before my time abroad. I knew I needed a change, and in the best way possible, Barcelona put me on my belly and made me teach myself how to walk again – but this time I was 21 and 5,000 miles away from home. 

PS – There is a wall full of CatCards at CocoVail where you can hot glue yours too! 

How did Eller (or your previous coursework) prepare you for your internship?

Eller prepared me for my internship more than I could’ve imagined. In the first semester, we are put into random groups to work with for 16 weeks throughout three different courses. This teaches you about other work styles, differences, and how you can adapt to be the best teammate. I was lucky enough to have really enjoyed my team and got to know them well. They taught me quite a bit about perseverance and flexibility. While I was in Barcelona, there were times I wasn’t working on tasks that were included in my job description – and my boss consistently praised me for my flexibility in our 1 on 1s.