IAC: Building Pathways to Opportunity

For nearly a decade, IAC has been one of Prep for Prep’s most dynamic corporate partners, helping students explore media, technology, and business careers. The relationship began modestly with a grant to support Prep for Prep’s annual gala but quickly grew into something deeper. “We would have career days here or there or resume workshops,” recalls Suzanne Kennedy, Director of the Office of the Chairman and Head of Philanthropy at IAC. “But the employees wanted more, and the students wanted a more substantive engagement.”

That feedback prompted Suzanne to create the IAC Fellows Program, a multiyear, multibrand internship initiative connecting high-achieving students from underserved New York City communities with professional experience, mentorship, and academic support. Each summer, approximately 20 fellows gain hands-on experience across IAC brands, working with dedicated mentors and managers in areas including product management, software engineering, corporate communications, and data science. The company also provides hardship relief, grants, and stipends to ensure students can focus on learning and growth without financial strain.

Prep for Prep students have consistently made their mark among the IAC fellows. “They bring both intellectual rigor and a kind of grounded resilience,”  says Suzanne. “They enter our offices with unusual maturity, curiosity, and focus. That combination of  drive, character, and humility is really powerful.” The program extends beyond office life. Fellows participate in a range of cultural and philanthropic experiences, including sailing with Hudson River Community Sailing, visiting the Whitney Museum,  and taking part in a philanthropy pitch contest, where they’ve awarded $20,000 to nonprofits of their choice. Two Prep for Prep alumni, Eryn Gautier (XXXIV/ Mandell, Hewitt, Mount Holyoke) and Omar Abdelhamid (XXXVI/Trinity, Brown), have transitioned from  IAC fellows to full-time employees. Both credit their internships and mentorship through the IAC Fellows Program as pivotal to their career success. Eryn, now a software engineer at Care.com, one of IAC’s companies, says, “It feels like mutual respect…. They invest time and energy into you, and you prove you’re worth the risk. I’ve grown almost exponentially. I’m taking on my own projects, standing on my own, and they trust me.”

For IAC, these stories are a testament to the value  of long-term investment in talent. “Our employees love having [the interns] in the office,” Suzanne says. “Many have said that they learn more from the fellows than the students learn from us.”

When Eryn Gautier (XXXIV/Mandell, Hewitt, Mount Holyoke) first discovered Prep for Prep, she didn’t yet know it would set her on a path toward a career in technology. “I knew that Prep for Prep would be more rigorous in the moment, short term, but long term, it would have the most beneficial impact on my academic career and beyond,” says Eryn. Through Prep for Prep’s Student Internship Program,  Eryn explored her growing interest in coding, beginning with a Prep-supported CodeNow boot camp at Bloomberg. “The first day I really didn’t want to go,” she remembered. “But they started showing us how to code our own calculators … I was hooked.” She went on to join Girls Who Code, launch a Girls Code Club at Hewitt, and complete multiple technology internships, from IT at a law firm to web development at The Foundation Center.

Her Prep Journey eventually led her to IAC, where she interned first in product management at Dotdash and later in software engineering at Vimeo. “Prep for Prep knew I was interested in technology,” Eryn says. “Even though the first internship was in product management … it still contributed to being a better engineer.” Now a software engineer at Care.com, Eryn continues to thrive. “I’ve felt the same sense of community and respect  at every IAC company I’ve worked with, and that’s something truly special,” says Eryn.