Sam Spanierman ’18 walked into Professor Jane Knodell’s Economics 290 Internship class unsure of where this stage of his academic journey would lead. The course links students with internship opportunities and meets weekly throughout the semester to share experiences and provide individual guidance.

A few weeks into the class, Spanierman landed an internship with a startup company Debx, a Washington D.C.-based company that recently launched a mobile application combining the benefits of credit and debit cards.

“Professor Knodell was in touch with a recent graduate, Sean Breen, who’s working for Debx now. When he mentioned they were looking for help, Jane described the opportunity and I was intrigued. I’m glad I went for it, because it’s been without a doubt the most rewarding experience I’ve had at UVM.”

Spanierman says he has the best of both worlds, finishing up his final semester in Burlington while working for Debx from home. The experience has given him hands-on skills in marketing, fueled by the adrenaline rush of being on the ground floor of a new company.

“People use credit cards in part to get the rewards, like flight miles and points,” Spanierman says, explaining the inspiration behind the app. “The drawback is the interest you pay on debt. So Debx automatically pays off your daily credit card purchases with money in your checking account. You earn the rewards without running up the debt.”

Spanierman says the app is especially useful for millennials like himself who want to establish a credit rating without the associated risk of running up unsustainable debt. The app provides a function that guards against overdrafts.

Much of his work at Debx has been building surveys for college-aged students, the demographic the company sees as a target audience. He meets online with his supervisors every week, sharpening the surveys as he gathers more data about the financial habits of his peers.

“I’m essentially their marketer on the ground, their ‘campus ambassador,” he says.

A native of Brattleboro, Vt., Spanierman had UVM on his radar when he began his college search.

“My mom went to UVM and she raved about her experience there,” he said. “Burlington isn’t a big city, but much bigger than my home town. It was a great place to transition to a larger location.”

He arrived at UVM without a declared major, but that changed when he took Knodell’s introduction to macroeconomics course his freshman year. He decided an economics degree would provide a flexible and marketable degree.

“I hadn’t been involved with marketing in my education here, so the internship has helped me build a whole set of new skills,” he says. “I feel a lot more confident and prepared now with the experience I’ve gained.”