For Ida Segmuller ’25, MS ’27, an internship in Germany helped confirm a passion for international education. For Jadyn Moriarty ’27, it was an opportunity to see how assessment can improve the student experience. And for Onyeka Osuji ’27, a summer managing a university maintenance team taught her how to lead through collaboration.
Their experiences demonstrate the breadth of professional opportunities available through Canisius University’s Master’s in Higher Education Leadership and Administration (HELA) program, where classroom learning is paired with hands-on experience at colleges and universities.
[Photo: HELA graduate student Onyeka Osuji ’27 gained hands-on leadership experience during her internship with Housing and Facilities Operations at the University of New Hampshire.]
Preparing for a career in higher education
The two-year HELA program equips students for careers in higher education administration at public and private colleges and universities. Students explore areas such as student success, student engagement, academic advising, career counseling, admissions, athletics administration, alumni relations, financial aid and academic affairs.
Through a combination of coursework, internships and independent research, students gain a well-rounded understanding of higher education, from leadership theories to counseling in student affairs.
“Internships complement the in-classroom learning, as they provide real-world experience and application upon which students can reflect and make meaning,” says Amy Wilson, PhD, associate dean of the School of Education and Leadership Studies, professor and program director of HELA.
Every HELA student completes two internships, each consisting of 225 hours. The internships exceed the minimum supervised practice recommendations of the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS), giving students the opportunity to develop professional skills and explore different areas of higher education.
“Canisius HELA students generally have three distinctive professional experiences by the time they graduate,” Wilson says. “This level of experience, combined with their curricular program, makes them well equipped to hit the ground running as new professionals in the field.”
Ida Segmuller: Discovering a passion for international education
Internship: Counseling Services Department, Ansbach University of Applied Sciences, Germany
Segmuller’s internship in the university’s Counseling Services Department gave her the opportunity to work with prospective and current students, including high school students seeking information about college, navigating their academic journey and exploring career development and scholarships.
The experience expanded her understanding of the student life cycle, from recruitment and admissions through graduation. She also gained insight into the role that effective advising can play in helping prospective students feel welcome and confident in their decisions.
“It was very valuable to see what a big difference good advising can make. It helps them feel more welcome and gives them greater confidence in their decisions,” Segmuller says.
At one college fair, she advised more than 100 high school students, taking on responsibilities that required her to draw on the knowledge and skills she developed through HELA coursework and her graduate assistantship at Canisius’ Center for International Education.
“I was given a lot of responsibility during my internship, I had to rely heavily on the experience I had gained during my studies and while working as a graduate assistant,” she says.
The internship also helped Segmuller recognize that she enjoys working directly with students at every stage of their academic journey, while honing in on her true passion.
“When I spent a few days working at the Welcome Center of the Hochschule Ansbach, it highlighted that my true passion lies in working with international students, as this is where I can contribute my own experiences and strengths the most,” she says.
Jadyn Moriarty: Connecting assessment to student success
Internship: Housing and Residence Life, Seattle University
brought her HELA coursework in assessment and student affairs to Seattle University, where she worked in Housing and Residence Life. Her responsibilities included analyzing assessment data, helping develop fall resident assistant training, supporting residence hall operations and contributing to the university’s residential education planning.
One of her most valuable experiences was examining feedback from a 2025 resident assistant training period and seeing how that information influenced the way surveys were conducted and training was planned.
“My classes in the Higher Education Leadership and Administration program have taught me how important assessment is in higher education, and this project gave me meaningful hands-on experience to explore some of the concepts I have learned in class and helped me understand why assessment is so important,” Moriarty says.
Because her internship spanned Seattle University’s spring and summer quarters, Moriarty experienced several stages of the residential life cycle, from end-of-year celebrations and residence hall closing to summer operations and preparation for a new group of resident assistants.
“Starting my internship with Seattle University halfway through their spring quarter gave me a holistic perspective on residence life that I did not previously have,,” she says.
Working at another Jesuit institution also gave her an opportunity to see how Canisius’ Jesuit values translate into a different campus environment, observing how Seattle University emphasized cura personalis as well.
“Experiencing reflections in a new environment broadened my perspective on Jesuit education and reaffirmed my drive for creating an environment that values reflection, collaboration and holistic approaches to education in my work,” Moriarty says.
Onyeka Osuji: Learning to lead through collaboration
Internship: Housing and Facilities Operations, University of New Hampshire
For Osuji, a summer internship at the University of New Hampshire provided a different perspective on higher education. As a Housing and Facilities Operations Team Manager, she supervised a 20-person maintenance team, coordinated summer turnover and oversaw work to prepare residential buildings for the upcoming academic year.
The experience challenged Osuji to lead professionals with expertise in areas such as carpentry, engineering and maintenance, even though she had little experience in those technical fields herself.
“I soon realized the importance of my role when the team would always look to me for directions,” Osuji says. “The experts knew the ‘how’ of the operations but needed a leader for the ‘who, when, and why’ of each operation.”
The internship showed her the scale of the behind-the-scenes work required to prepare a university for students’ arrival. During summer turnover, she worked alongside electricians, painters, carpenters, housekeepers and other professionals, gaining a deeper appreciation for the many career opportunities within higher education.
“The amount of work that goes into making a space ready for a student to walk into it at the beginning of the academic year is incredible!” she says.
Her HELA coursework in leadership helped her approach the experience with confidence. Studying leadership theories and reflecting on her own strengths and weaknesses gave her a foundation for managing a team, while her roles as coordinator of the Canisius SPARK program and president of the HELA Graduate Association provided additional leadership experience.
“Leadership is not about being an expert, but about understanding a shared goal and getting people to play their part in achieving that shared goal,” Osuji says.
Wilson echoes Osuji and the other students, emphasizing that experiences like these help HELA students gain a clearer understanding of their interests and the kind of higher education professional they want to become.
“We often learn more about the professional we want to be through our interactions with other professionals,” Wilson says.
Learn more about the Master’s in Higher Education Leadership and Administration at Canisius University.
The two-year program offers flexible full-time and part-time study, two internships and graduate assistantship opportunities at Canisius and other colleges and universities. Students can choose a thesis or comprehensive final exam, with required textbooks and regional and national student affairs conferences included in program tuition. Click here to find out more.
