Every summer, a new wave of talent rolls into Walser, and every summer we say the same thing: this might be our best class yet. This year, we actually mean it (we always mean it, but still).
Please join us in welcoming the 2026 class of the NextGen Internship Program: 26 students from campuses across Minnesota and beyond, ready to spend their summer doing real work on real projects with real stakes. No coffee runs. No filing purgatory. Just hands-on experience across sales, marketing, IT, HR, accounting, inventory, and more.
So who are they? Glad you asked.
The Sales Academy Squad
Seven brave interns are stepping out of the lecture hall and onto the sales floor. After a few weeks of Walser Way training, they’ll be working leads, building customer relationships, and learning what no-pressure, transparent car sales actually looks like in the wild.
Mei Huynh
University of Minnesota Twin Cities,
Human Development, Science, and Marketing Education
Alex Tran
UMN Twin Cities, Communications
Farah Almadani
University of St. Thomas, Finance
Nicolas Sandberg
UMN Twin Cities, Marketing
Annika Wolters
UMN Duluth, Marketing and Graphic Design
Stella Lauck
UMN Twin Cities, Marketing and Entrepreneurial Management
Sierra Krull
UMN Twin Cities, Finance
Marketing
Lindsey Johnson
UMN Twin Cities, Marketing
Cece Walser
Villanova, Communications
These two are joining the marketing team, where the job is simple to say and hard to do: make Walser look as good online as it does in person. They’ll be in the middle of social campaigns and events from day one, but they’re not just filling a content calendar. They’re helping shape the Walser brand itself and pushing our biggest brand awareness initiatives of the year. The work they do this summer won’t sit in a folder. It will be out in the world, in front of real audiences, changing how Minnesota sees Walser. Want to see what they are up to? Follow us on Instagram to get a glimpse into their day to day.
IT
John Harms
UMN Duluth, Business Analytics and MIS
Semone Matiyas
St. Thomas, Computer Science and Data Science
Our two IT interns are diving into the systems that keep a multi-dealership operation humming. When everything works perfectly all summer, remember to thank them, because nobody thanks IT until something breaks.
Accounting
Alexis Singh
UMN Twin Cities, Economics
Gabe Hoven
UMN Duluth, Accounting
These two are heading into the financial engine room, working on reporting, reconciliations, and the daily numbers that keep everything honest. Spreadsheet enthusiasts, these are your people.
Inventory and Buying
This crew keeps vehicles moving across all of our stores, which is a bigger logistical puzzle than most people realize.
Corbin Birkholz
Mankato State University, Finance
Logan Tyler
Waldorf University, Business Operations
Jordan Carroll
UMN Duluth, Business Analytics and MIS
Joseph Elskamp
UMN Duluth
Yulduz Abdurakhimova
UMN Twin Cities, Economics and Psychology
Ryan Keller
St. Thomas, Economics and Catholic Studies
Inventory is where the car business actually gets decided. Every vehicle on a Walser lot was appraised, priced, and placed on purpose, and this team is learning how those calls get made. They’ll be studying live market data to price vehicles competitively, evaluating trade-ins and auction buys, tracking what’s selling and what’s sitting, and helping move the right cars to the right stores at the right time.
Between new vehicle allocation and used vehicle buying, they’re getting a crash course in the supply and demand engine behind every sale. When a customer finds exactly the car they wanted at a price that makes sense, this is the team that made that moment possible.
HR, Recruiting, and Business Development
The people side of the business is in good hands.
Lizzie Sigler
St. Thomas, Psychology
Mia DeCaluwe
UMN Twin Cities, Psychology
Jackson Rusnacko
UMN Twin Cities, Human Resources
steps in as our Veteran Recruiter intern
Jerry Bettis Jr.
Richfield Senior High School
Nelson Yeung
UMN Twin Cities, Psychology
Over in Business Development, Nelson will be learning the art of customer communication on the team that talks to hundreds of customers every single day.
The Year 2 Club
Some interns liked it here so much they came back, which we’re choosing to take as the highest possible compliment. Round of applause for our returning NextGen veterans:
Evan Ledoux
St. Thomas, Business Law
returns to Safety and Risk Compliance.
Drew Johnston
UMN Duluth, Accounting and Consumer Insights
is back in FP&A and Consumer Analytics.
Armonn Burns
Perpich Academy
rejoins Fixed Ops as a Lube Technician intern
Corbin Birkholz
Mankato State, Finance
returns to Inventory as a Service Buyer intern.
Year 2 means bigger projects, more responsibility, and the quiet confidence of already knowing where the good parking is.
What Happens Next
Over the coming months, this class will be paired with mentors, thrown into meaningful department projects, and put through the full NextGen experience, including Accelerate Days and a Capstone Project Showcase where they present their work directly to Walser leadership.
We’ll be following along all summer with our Voice of the Intern series, so you’ll hear from the class in their own words soon.
Want In Next Year?
The 2026 roster is full, but the 2027 application window opens September 1. If you’re a sophomore, junior, or senior looking for an internship where you actually contribute, get all the details at walsercareers.com/internships.
Welcome to the team, NextGen class of 2026.
