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Q&A: How an Externship With an Alum Became a Career in Marketing

After the Career Center facilitated an opportunity to shadow Mitch Hanna ’14 at a local construction management company, Brianna Moyer ’24 landed an internship and then a job there.

By: Samantha Tempkin ’25  Wednesday, April 30, 2025 09:37 AM

Brianna Moyer ’24 works in marketing for the construction management company Alvin H. Butz, Inc.

For the summer before her senior year, Brianna Moyer ’24 applied for the Career Center’s externship program, specifically hoping to work in the marketing field. She was paired with Mitch Hanna ’14, then a senior marketing specialist and now the marketing manager for local construction management company Alvin H. Butz, Inc. 

Career Center externships are designed so students have the opportunity to shadow alumni for up to a week, gaining an increased understanding of their day-to-day work experiences. “It’s not a huge commitment, and you can feel out if this is going to be a future opportunity,” says Moyer, who’s now a marketing assistant with Butz. “I think [Hanna] was the best host you could ask for in this kind of experience because he was so passionate about the work and has served as such a great mentor.”

Here, Moyer, who was a double major in business administration and theatre with a minor in Italian studies, discusses the journey that led to her current career. 

Hanna and Moyer on a job site

Why were you interested in completing an externship? 
“At the time I had applied, I didn’t have an internship lined up for the summer. I was interested in marketing and wanted to learn more about the field and see how what I was learning in the classroom could be applied in a real-world situation. I liked that the externship was a low-stakes environment where you spend a couple days with the host.” 

How did the externship lead to your current role?
“Leading into my senior year, I reached back out to [Hanna] and expressed interest in the field and in the company because those three days really impacted me. It was a short experience, but it really sparked an interest in construction and marketing in this industry. They had an opening for an internship, and I was able to intern through my senior year. Within my role at Butz, there would be some days where I was working on proposals and pursuits, and other days I’d be attending and planning events, and other days I’d get to be on job sites. I really wanted that variety in my day to day for my future career. During my spring semester, [Butz] offered me a full-time position [after graduation] if I was interested. I was having such a positive internship experience, meeting so many people, and getting so many cool experiences that I was very interested in staying with the company.”

Why were you interested in staying near Muhlenberg after graduation?
“It made sense to stay in the Lehigh Valley and continue my work here because I felt like I was growing a passion for this. It was special to me that Butz has a relationship with Muhlenberg College and a rich history of building on campus, with Trexler [Library] and Moyer [Hall] and the dining hall, and spending four years in these spaces and then being at a company that built so many landmark projects on campus, I really love that connection.” 

How do you use the skills you built at Muhlenberg in your day-to-day work at Butz?
“Being a double major, I had to learn how to manage both of my majors and how to commit time for each task. Within my role and my company, there are some days that I need to know what tasks to prioritize and what has to get my attention. Being involved in the Cardinal Key Society helped me a lot with connecting with alumni and being able to go into different spaces while feeling like I could communicate and talk to a group, which has been extremely helpful when attending networking events. With the theatre major, I was taught how to properly and efficiently work with and communicate with others. I think all of my Muhlenberg experience, whether it was courses or extracurriculars, were crucial in getting me to this point.”