Internship Series | Fashion marketing class, alumnus help Aidan Flynn ’27 explore retail

Our Internship Series highlights where our students interned this summer, what they learned, and how their experiences fit into the unique professional journeys they are building at Nichols College. Since real-world preparation is central to our mission, all Nichols students complete an internship before graduation to connect theory with practice. In this ongoing Q&A series, our students share insights about their internships in their own words.

This time, we catch up with Nashville, Tennessee, native and general business major Aidan Flynn ’27, who spent the summer immersed in corporate retail at Burlington Stores, where he began to envision a career in an industry he first explored in the classroom.

Flynn’s interest began in a fashion marketing class at Nichols. For Flynn, who was still considering his career options, the course introduced him to a professional direction he hadn’t yet considered, as well as to Rob McDiarmid ’98, vice president at Burlington Stores and co-chair of the Nichols College Board of Advisors. After McDiarmid visited the class as a guest speaker, Flynn reached out for advice on finding the right role after college. From there, inspired by McDiarmid’s guidance and what he learned about the company, he pursued an internship opportunity at Burlington.

McDiarmid sees connections like these as one of the benefits of the Nichols alumni network.

“One of the greatest assets of Nichols College is its strong and engaged alumni network. So many Nichols grads are active in mentoring and recruiting and are a great first step in seeking out advice or landing an internship. That first career experience is so incredibly valuable in setting yourself up for success after graduation,” McDiarmid said.

Below, Flynn tells us about his work in corporate retail and how his time with Burlington Stores shaped his career aspirations.

1. Tell us about your major and what career path you are exploring.

I am a general business major with a minor in criminal justice. I primarily picked my major because when I first got to college, I wasn’t fully set on a particular career path. I had values and goals that fit well within business, but I just didn’t know where to start. I took general business as my major in order to look at all aspects of business and find something that could point me in a direction.

2. Where did you complete your internship, and why did you take this internship on—what were your goals?

My internship was at Burlington Stores, at their New York City office. It was a surreal experience working in downtown NYC; my subway stop was 42^nd Street, right next to Times Square, in the heart of Midtown Manhattan. I took this internship because I had the opportunity to hear from Nichols alumnus Rob McDiarmid, vice president at Burlington Stores. Rob came to our fashion marketing class at Nichols, where he was a guest speaker and helped inform the class about the fashion industry and Burlington. The first thing I noticed about Rob is that I could tell he genuinely loved his job, which is a huge aspect I was looking for in my career after college. Everything else he mentioned after that also fit with what I was looking for: a great culture at the company, a nice work-life balance and an industry where you’re not always at your desk.

I reached out to Rob as I was honestly just looking for any kind of guidance, since I am a student who came to college without a firm idea of what I wanted to do for work. He was more than happy to help with whatever questions I had; it was great to hear his advice and learn more about Burlington, which helped me decide to pursue an internship there.

At the internship, my goals were to learn as much as possible. I just made sure to listen to what Nichols has always told me to do: ask questions, be curious and make the most of the experience.

3. What did a typical day look like for you during this experience?

What I liked a lot about my role is that each day during the week was a bit different. Two days were virtual, and I spent three days in person at the office. Monday and Tuesday we did a lot of Excel work. We’d look at our sales reports and make adjustments, take notes and figure out what was working and what wasn’t. Sometimes on those days we’d submit purchase orders, which are basically how you tell vendors what clothes you want, how much and when. Then the rest of the week we went to vendor meetings. A key part of the business is building relationships with vendors, so the first part of the meeting was where we’d talk about sports, family, weekend plans, really anything. After those topics, we talked business, and I would take notes for my buyer and give my opinion on certain clothes the vendors showed us. It was a lot of fun because I worked in the men’s golf and workwear area, so I knew a lot of the brands and could give valuable opinions on styles.

4. How did your school coursework prepare you for this role?

Nichols helped me tremendously. Sometimes you don’t realize your Monday 8 a.m. presentation will impact your career, but the practice of presenting has definitely helped me in the job world. Keeping up with deadlines, managing priorities and developing corporate social skills were all extremely important with this internship, and I feel like I owe most of my skills in those areas to Nichols. My fashion marketing class also directly correlated with this industry, which, before the class, I didn’t know existed. It taught me about the importance of details in clothing and how we can understand consumers in the industry. I also owe most of my Excel skills to Nichols, as well as how to write professional emails, which doesn’t sound too crazy, but it really does make a difference.

5. How has your internship experience shaped your future goals after graduation?

This experience has completely flipped my future goals after graduation. During my first year, my career goal was to find something that I thought I could do for the rest of my life. Now that I’ve found that career and completed that goal thanks to this internship, my focus is to find a full-time role in the fashion industry.

6. What advice do you have for other Nichols students looking for an internship?

Use your resources. Nichols alumni are more than willing to help students. Try to make a genuine connection with people, and don’t be afraid to ask questions. There are so many great resources at Nichols: Academic Center for Excellence and Support (ACES), Career and Professional Development Center (CPDC) and many more that help set us up for success. Even using the interview room at CPDC was a huge help for me. Our professors are also great resources. They aren’t just there to grade papers; they want you to be successful in the job world. In total, Nichols is filled with great resources and opportunities and is an overall supportive environment; use it to your fullest!

(Pictured in story photo: Aidan Flynn ’27 at the Burlington Stores office in Florence Township, New Jersey, for a team gathering.)