Over the past Spring Break, students from both Dwight New York and Dwight Global participated in an immersive career discovery program, where they learned about the day-to-day operations and history of the global luxury jewelry house.
Led by Dwight’s Internship Coordinator, Shauna Fitzmahan, Dwight New York students took part in the program for the third year, and a Dwight Global cohort joined for the first time. Fitzmahan, who secured 80 internship positions and placed 60 Dwight students at companies this past year, recognizes the illuminating effect of the exposure to the business: “[Tiffany & Co.] gives students the opportunity to explore the many layers of their business. It’s enlightening for the students. Often the student might say, ‘I want to get into design and business,’ but don’t really know specifics. So by the end of the program, they realize that actually they’re really interested in HR or executive management. Or they’re interested in the design field.”
Emma Haswell ’25, of Dwight Global, felt more clarity about her career aspirations after Tiffany & Co.’s designer, Taylor Larson, offered her experience. Smiling about her newfound awareness, Haswell shared, “I think [Larson] even helped me define what I want to do with my own career. It’s really hard to say, ‘I want to do this’ without actually seeing it being done. So now I feel like, ‘Oh wow! I didn’t even realize this was a job and that would definitely be something I would be interested in.’”
During their time with the company, students engaged in meetings with panelists from the corporate, design, manufacturing, and retail spaces. They learned about the collaboration between departments, as well as whimsical details about the requirement that employees learn how to tie the signature Tiffany bow — pulling just one section results in the elegant knot melting open.
Guided by the gemologists, the group also examined the quality of two red diamonds. Additionally, they heard about the various paths employees took to arrive at their current positions. Inspired by the stories, Metz shares, “I learned that people we met that were higher up in the company, the opportunities just came to them from working hard and doing their job well and being a good teammate and a good leader.”
The students also discovered the company’s commitment to sustainability and its aim to have net-zero emissions by 2040. Haswell was moved by what she learned about Tiffany & Co’s attention to detail, especially in its sustainable and ethical practices. Tiffany’s can tell customers the countries where newly sourced, individually registered diamonds of .18 carats and larger are sourced, cut, polished, graded, and set. Haswell says, “So they have exactly every step of the journey.”
Currently, Fitzmahan is preparing for the upcoming year full of opportunities at Tiffany & Co., among other businesses. As a teacher for multiple decades, Fitzmahan serves as an encouraging (and honest!) hiring manager for students, coaching them on interviews, and offering them abundant resources through a Canvas course she created. She’s aiming to work with parents and Dwight alumni to expand the placements beyond New York, to California and Florida, and is also looking for remote options. Fitzmahan has successfully connected with parents and alumni — even her former students —to find potential positions. She says, “It’s really in some ways like the community is helping the community, right? We want opportunities for our students.” Indeed — and some will prove once-in-a-lifetime.
