The TKE Zeta Phi Chapter is committed to fostering strong connections between our alumni and current fraters. One impactful way we achieve this is by facilitating internship opportunities that connect alumni with active members. This initiative not only helps current fraters gain valuable real-world experience and professional mentorship but also strengthens our alumni network by keeping graduates engaged with the chapter and invested in its continued success.

Internship Opportunities

Sonic automotive

alumni sponsor: scott smith

This is a paid internship (last year was $20/hour) that typically runs 9 weeks beginning after Memorial Day.

Submit resumes to Danny Wieland, VP via email at daniel.wieland@sonicautomotive.com by February 26, 2025.

    1    Financial Reporting – Responsible for preparing monthly consolidated financial reports, as well as quarterly and annual filings with the SEC, supporting the CFO and senior management team

    2    Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) – Responsible for daily/weekly/monthly operational reporting and analysis, supporting the dealership general managers and brand vice presidents in addition to the senior management team

    3    Treasury – Responsible for managing and forecasting the company’s cash flow, liquidity and debt

    4    Internal Audit – Responsible for maintaining and evaluating internal controls, playbook processes and audits

    5    Information Technology (IT) – Responsible for maintaining the company’s technology environment, including hardware, software applications, and data security and user access

    6    Marketing – Responsible for managing advertising programs for our franchised dealerships, EchoPark stores, and powersports dealerships, as well as performing data analysis to better analyze our advertising strategy

    7    eCommerce – Responsible for developing and maintaining our websites and customer interactions via our websites as part of the car-buying process

Past Internships

Kobe Michail - 2023 Zeta phi initiate

This summer, I had the privilege of interning at Connexus Metals, a commodity trading firm in Pennsylvania owned by Mark Terode, the former president of the TKE Zeta Phi chapter. The experience was both professionally enriching and personally significant, providing me with a closer look at the industry and an opportunity to learn from someone I deeply respect. Living in an apartment above Mark’s garage, I was fully immersed in the business environment, allowing me to experience the fast-paced nature of the trading world up close.

During my six weeks at Connexus Metals, I was more than just an observer—I actively participated in the business operations. I worked on diverse projects, from conducting market analysis and risk management to researching government approvals for a global port of entry in the Great Lakes area. These tasks provided me with practical, hands-on experience in real-world business transactions and decision-making, helping me apply my academic knowledge in a meaningful way.

Beyond the professional growth, this internship also offered a personal connection to my fraternity’s history, as I learned about the traditions and stories from Mark’s time at TKE. The relationships I built and the experiences I had are ones I will cherish for a lifetime. I am grateful to Mark and his team for their mentorship and support, and I hope this internship program continues to provide such valuable opportunities to future TKE actives.

Mark teroerde - Mentor

Kobe Michail was the first intern to have joined our team at Conexus. Our expectations were accordingly not very high, given we all know how college kids can be. Anyone who has ever worked in a corporate environment would agree that the first reaction you’d have when your boss tells you we are getting an intern is an unenthusiastic “oh great.”

To my pleasant surprise, Kobe proved all that wrong and then some. The day Kobe showed up, he hit the ground running. There was very little of “what do I do,” but rather “look what solutions I’ve found to your problem.”

We treated Kobe like a full-fledged employee, not an intern. We taught him a few of the fundamental principles of our business and threw him in the deep end. Boy, could he swim! He Kobe proactively helped us build a new supply chain for our Magnetite and Cement books by analyzing, researching, and requesting quotes from vendors. Then combining the logistics with the commercial and financial aspects, Kobe was able to present us with an entire trade from purchase through sale. Furthermore Kobe also delved into a completely new product, namely high purity Silicon, which we are now considering to actually add to our books and actively trade.

Frankly, considering the value Kobe really added, his exemplary and mature work ethic, and of course his personality and charm, I can assure that I would hire him on the spot were he not still in school. I hope to hear from him when he graduates.

That all said, our first experience with a TKE intern was so positive that we are certainly going to keep participating in the program.