Real Projects. Real Experience. Real Impact.

At the College of Liberal Arts, students don’t just learn about the working world—they experience it. Through CLA Career Services’ Pre-Internship Project Program, undergraduates partner with local workplaces to take on real business challenges in a short-term, high-impact format. The program gives students early exposure to professional environments, while employers benefit from fresh insights and emerging talent.

One partner, SPS Commerce, has hosted multiple Pre-Internship Projects. We spoke with Lorrin Murphy, Talent Acquisition Program Manager, to learn more about how these collaborations support student development and help companies reimagine early talent engagement.

Q&A with SPS Commerce

CLA Career Services: Can you tell us a bit about your background and the work you do at SPS Commerce?

Lorrin Murphy: I lead campus recruiting at SPS Commerce, where I focus on building meaningful partnerships and hands-on experiences for students who are exploring early career paths. I designed and launched our Campus Recruiting Program back in 2022, and I now spend most of my time evolving and expanding the program through growing our university partnerships, launching new early talent initiatives, and creating more inclusive entry points into the organization. I love being able to connect students with real opportunities and help them see how their skills can translate in a business setting.

CLA Career Services: What have you seen to be the benefits of hosting a Pre-Internship Project with liberal arts students?

Lorrin Murphy: Liberal Arts students bring a fresh lens, critical thinking skills, and a natural curiosity to their work. Hosting a Pre-Internship Project gives us an opportunity to connect with talent we might not otherwise meet through traditional talent pipelines. The students ask thoughtful questions, make unexpected connections, and offer insights that challenge our assumptions. It’s been a valuable way to broaden our perspective and identify new approaches to solve business challenges.

CLA Career Services: What have students been doing during their project week?

Lorrin Murphy: During project week, the students jump right into a real business challenge. They're working on our Voice of the Customer program, helping us analyze unstructured feedback from customer surveys. These comments contain valuable insights, but they’re tough to report on at scale, so students are helping us spot patterns, flag themes, and understand sentiment across a huge dataset.

To analyze the customer feedback, they review actual customer comments in spreadsheets, tagging positive or negative sentiment, and noting any standout feedback like product suggestions or employee recognition. From there, they analyze themes across customer segments, identify trends, and pull it all together into a presentation with their key takeaways.

We also give the students a broader look at Customer Success—the kinds of surveys we run and the tools we use to gather and analyze customer feedback. It’s a mix of independent work, collaboration, and hands-on exposure to how we use customer insights to improve the customer experience we deliver.

CLA Career Services: What are you finding works well in terms of engaging undergraduate students?

Lorrin Murphy: Clarity, context, and connection go a long way. We try to clearly explain the project’s purpose and how it ties to the real work we do, which helps students stay motivated and focused. Offering a real business problem to solve, with the freedom to approach it creatively, makes the experience feel meaningful.

CLA Career Services: At the end of the week, CLA students make a presentation about their Pre-Internship Project. How have those been useful for your organization and to students?

Lorrin Murphy: The final project showcase gives students a chance to take ownership of their work and build confidence in presenting their ideas, which is an important skill they’ll carry into any future role. For SPS, these presentations often surface new insights or highlight trends we may not have had the time or perspective to identify on our own. It’s a great way to close the week with shared learning on both sides.

CLA Career Services: Anything else you’d like to share?

Lorrin Murphy: We’re really grateful for our partnership with CLA. The Pre-Internship Projects are a win-win—students get hands-on experience and professional exposure, and we benefit from fresh perspectives and emerging talent. Programs like this play a key role in making the tech industry more accessible and inclusive, and we’re proud to be part of that effort.