Ten Students Selected for Apple Program

Students smile happily as they hold signs reading UMD Engineering, Clark School Pride, Go Terps, and Let's Go Terps

On Thursday, April 2, the Maryland Engineering community joined together to celebrate 10 Clark School students selected for the inaugural UMD cohort of the Apple Next-Gen Innovators Mentorship Program. The highly selective seven-month program pairs undergraduate students with Apple engineers for one-on-one mentorship in hardware, software, and manufacturing and offers technical and personal development workshops and networking opportunities to help launch their careers.

Only 25 participating schools in the U.S.

Dean Graham addresses people seated at tables

Dean Graham addresses the attendees

The Clark School is one of only 25 engineering schools in the U.S.—and one of only two schools in the Washington, D.C., area—selected for the program.

“Maryland Engineering and Apple make a great team,” said Clark School Dean Samuel Graham. “This partnership will give our students more real-world experience and access to leaders in the field and ensure our curriculum meets the needs of a constantly changing marketplace.”

Clark School student participants include:

August van Geertruyden (computer engineering)
John David Paulenich III (electrical engineering)
Madaleine Tewey (computer engineering)
Manuel Gondolesi (bioengineering and electrical engineering)
Michelle Twene (mechanical engineering)
Nandini Bhattaram (materials science engineering)
Natalie Venginickal (electrical engineering)
Santiago Lorenzi (mechanical engineering)
Zehra Syeda (bioengineering)
Zoe Edwards (mechanical engineering)

From academics to careers: Students matched with Apple engineer

The Maryland Engineering cohort started in Fall 2025 with a virtual kickoff event. Each student was matched with an Apple engineer to provide career insights and guidance tailored to the student’s particular academic and career goals. An online career development workshop covered resume-building best practices (top tip: lose the cover letter). And all student participants have access to a unique internship application portal designed specifically for Next-Gen Innovators. Supplemental, all-group engineering design events have included a session on Apple’s product development processes. An upcoming design event will cover the development of Apple’s iMac series, launched in 1998.

“I’m thrilled about this new Apple initiative, which provides an invaluable opportunity for our Clark School engineering students,” said Veronica A. Perrigan, who directs Engineering Career Services at the Clark School. “By connecting our second- and third-year students with Apple engineers, the program offers a unique blend of technical guidance and professional mentorship tailored to their future success.”

Personal Support from Big Tech Leaders

Nine students pose under a sign reading Welcome to the Apple NextGen Innovators Celebration

Nine of the 10 participating students

“It was great to meet everyone face to face,” said program participant August van Geertruyden of his fellow mentees who were chosen from across the Clark School.

The program’s timing couldn’t have been better for the computer engineering junior. Over the seven-month mentorship program, Van Geertruyden’s mentor has served as a sounding board, reassuring him about his coursework—he’s interested in pursuing graduate school—and even helping him narrow his career focus to silicon manufacturing and semiconductor processes.

Van Geertruyden and his mentor meet virtually twice a month for a half hour. In addition to the practical advice on courses of study, the student appreciates seeing a seasoned mentor in action, not only advising but advocating for his mentee and introducing him to connections in academia and industry. It’s the kind of leadership role Van Geertruyden sees for himself one day.

In addition to his computer engineering coursework, Van Geertruyden is pursuing a minor in science, technology, ethics, and policy and holds down various leadership roles at UMD—in the university’s chapter of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, at the Terrapin Works woodshop, on the Clark School Dean’s Student Advisory Council, and on TestuGO, a Vertically Integrated Projects team. “I really want to have the ability to develop my own skillset, impart my print onto the science world, and assist the next generation with furthering their own goals and rising to every opportunity,” he said.

Van Geertruyden appreciates that the career path sometimes isn’t straight but winding. “Even if you don’t get your dream job right out of college or graduate school,” he said, “there’s still a lot of opportunity to find your way there.”

Published April 20, 2026