Samantha Marasca '26 Paves Way for New AI Internship Program

She started by developing AI agents to support the College. Now she's helping lay the foundation for Saints to follow suit.

Samantha Marasca ’26 didn’t know what to expect when she started a first-of-its-kind internship with Emmanuel's Information Technology (IT) department. But as Commencement quickly approaches, she’s looking back on the semester having grown as a person and professional through her work – it’s been even more rewarding than she could’ve anticipated.

Working on machine learning wasn't something that Marasca planned on diving into - but the more she explored building agents, the more she enjoyed it.

Intentionally designed to be open-ended and creative, the internship allowed Marasca to drive her own discovery while experimenting with Microsoft’s Copilot studio and developing AI agents to support processes at Emmanuel.

“This opportunity has given me the space to test my abilities as a self-starter and independent worker,” Marasca said, “Every time, I’m actually building something – I’ve become so excited about it, as everyone else [from IT] has.”

As a computer science major, Marasca has done extensive work in programming, algorithms and data structures, but she has gotten a completely unique, self-guided and hands-on approach to learning from the internship, exploring machine learning for the first time.

The internship structure is drawn from a well of experiential learning opportunities at Emmanuel – encouraging students to think outside the box and giving them the freedom to do so – and as a result, preparing them for meaningful, applied careers.

Having done this work, Marasca feels even more apt to advocate for herself and her skillset when choosing her career path and pitching herself to potential employers. From working independently on a project and having results to back it up, she has a newfound confidence in herself too.

Unique experiences like this are exactly what faculty and staff want to offer at Emmanuel, said Vice President of Information Resources & Planning and Chief Information Officer Sean Philpott, where students are trusted to design and build solutions, not just observe and assist.

“What stood out most was Samantha’s ownership of her work, from early brainstorming through final delivery,” Philpott said. “Over the semester, her projects came together in a way that demonstrated both technical skill and a strong understanding of how the College operates.”

There's an Agent for That

Working with an agent feels more like an interaction, Marasca explained, which makes completing these everyday tasks an overall better experience for the user.

Each day this semester, Marasca’s work on automating routines built toward this idea: contributing to the College’s broader goals to serve its people by streamlining everyday needs.

For example, Marasca developed a proof-of-concept parking pass agent, which streamlines the process of requesting a pass. It can authenticate the requester as staff, faculty or a student by accessing Emmanuel’s systems, distributes the pass and sends related confirmation emails.

She’s developed similar agents that will make putting in work orders for maintenance easier, and another that helps fellow students with wayfinding on campus.

The idea for all the agents is to create a central hub for a specific need. Providing a consistent, guided experience, they will make common tasks faster and less frustrating for the Emmanuel community, and ideally, save staff time and energy to focus on higher-value, people-centered work, Philpott said.

“I feel like this happens all over Emmanuel…which strengthens the network and feeling of community," Marasca said. "I love that I’ve been able to contribute and help all the people who have helped me."

Her work doesn’t stop there, either. Along the way, Marasca has been documenting her progress and plotting out ways that more Saints can advance the initiative after she’s gone.

A New AI and Innovation-Centered Innovation Program

The groundwork that Marasca has put in this semester will solidify her internship experience as a recurring opportunity for Saints to come: a new AI Internship Program.

Building on the foundation established through Marasca’s internship, the AI Internship Program formalizes this project-based approach within Emmanuel College’s IT Department.

Launching as a pilot this summer with two student interns, the program extends her work into a sustainable opportunity for future Saints to design, build, and deploy AI automation solutions that deliver real operational value to the College.

Making her contribution to the College in this way has been incredibly rewarding for Marasca – as are the insights she will take away from it and apply to her future endeavors.

Equipping Graduates with an Ethical Approach to AI

As an institution, Emmanuel College remains committed to pairing innovation with responsibility and thoughtful design – which has informed the development of the AI Internship Program and Marasca’s own approach to her work this semester.

Marasca had no prior computer science experience before Emmanuel. But now nearing graduation, she's ready to explore whatever avenue of the field calls to her.

It’s another way in which Marasca feels well-equipped to enter the workforce with a leg up on the competition: she understands how to implement AI ethically, and how to communicate her approach.

“When people have a lack of knowledge on it, it’s natural that they would be suspicious of AI,” Marasca said - “but from my perspective, I know when I’m building them [agents] I make sure they have that ethics component built in.”

With knowledge and firsthand experience on how to ethically apply AI for a values-based institution, Marasca has insight that can make her an asset wherever she sets her sights post-graduation.

And since she laid the groundwork for her peers – even more Saints can do the same – contributing to a more ethical future in the world of AI.