Internship with Warner Music Group Strikes a Chord with Savannah Dever '28
This summer, Savannah Dever '28 became the first Bryn Mawr student to receive the prestigious Jeff Ubben Posse Fellowship. Dever was selected from more than 700 eligible students and was one of only five to receive a generous stipend and pursue an internship shadowing a leader in their field, from business CEOs to professional sports executives.
Dever's fellowship took her to New York City, where she spent 10 weeks shadowing Warner Music Group CEO Robert Kyncl.
Her internship work centered on building a data tool, blending hands-on technical experience with executive-level strategic collaboration. The rest of her time was spent with Kyncl and the executive leadership team, where she sat in on meetings, learned about leadership styles, and even had a one-on-one interview with Kyncl. Her goal for this session was to go beyond hearing about the company and its goals, and instead home in on learning about Kyncl as a leader and as a person.
"Music is where I start and where I end," says Dever, whose background as a classical pianist informs both her personal and professional pursuits. "So being able to take that passion from a young age and actually work at a company built around it was just a perfect match."
Outside of her internship, Dever was eager to explore as much of New York City as possible. Her mission for the summer was to see all five boroughs — a goal she successfully completed — and she soaked up the local arts scene by attending Broadway shows, concerts, and jazz performances.
Savannah Dever '28
Sociology
"Music is where I start and where I end. So being able to take that passion from a young age and actually work at a company built around it was just a perfect match."
Originally from Houston, Texas, Dever graduated from a performing arts high school and came to Bryn Mawr as a Posse scholar. For many classical musicians, the natural next steps would be to pursue teaching or to play their instruments professionally.
But Dever — for whom it was not uncommon to be the only Black woman in the orchestra — saw the inequities in the industry around her and wanted to be a part of the change that bridges the disparities in the music industry.
When she arrived at Bryn Mawr, this passion to drive change made it only natural to pursue a major in sociology and a minor in data science.
"My whole saying about my career," Dever says, "is I aspire to use data for social impact."
Dever is continuing her pursuit of music at Bryn Mawr, where she studies piano, is a part of Chamber Music at Haverford, and has even been the pianist for the Bi-Co Orchestra. She is also a supervisor at Erdman Dining Hall, the student coordinator for Breaking Barriers, and is the co-president of both Sisterhood and the public speaking club Hear Me Out.
Sociology at Bryn Mawr
The Department of Sociology at Bryn Mawr College offers students particular opportunities to study societies of the Global North and South, the relation of individuals and groups to society and culture, and the contribution of sociological perspectives to the formation of public opinion and debate.