Finding His Fit in the Startup World: Michael Dichter ’26 Credits Whitman 

Michael Dichter ’26 knew he wanted an internship that would challenge him. A dual major in finance and entrepreneurship, Dichter thrives on fast-paced environments where he can think strategically, solve problems and contribute meaningfully. This summer, he found that challenge at Get Talky, a startup where he worked across sales, data and product exploration.  

“Whitman prepared me in so many ways. Courses in data analytics, entrepreneurship and financial management gave me the foundation I needed. The emphasis on real-world projects and presentations gave me the confidence to step into a startup and contribute right away,” he says.  

At Get Talky, Dichter took on a central role in organizing and analyzing call-related data. He earned a certification in Looker Studio, a data visualization platform, and used it to build custom dashboards that helped clients better understand performance metrics.  

“I worked with data pulled from client calls, cleaned and sorted it in spreadsheets, then built dashboards in Looker Studio,” he says. “It felt really rewarding when one of the dashboards I made was used during a client presentation. It made our performance clearer and helped them make decisions in real time.”  

Dichter says Whitman’s hands-on curriculum translated directly to his daily tasks, as many of his class assignments involved working with data, presenting findings and collaborating with classmates. Those experiences gave him the technical and communication skills to succeed in a fast-paced environment.  

Two professors played a key role in his growth. “Professor Elizabeth Wimer, my EEE.378: Imagination, Entrepreneurship, and Creative Problem-Solving professor, helped me think more creatively and entrepreneurially,” he says. “And Professor Candace Jens, who taught FIN.454: Financial Analytics, showed me how to approach complex data problems strategically. Their guidance stuck with me throughout my internship.”  

The opportunity at Get Talky came through a friend. After reaching out to the co-founders and completing two Zoom interviews, Dichter was invited to join the team. The interviews focused not just on his background but on what he had learned at Whitman. That focus, he says, made him realize just how much he had gained from his coursework.  

“The way classes are structured at Whitman made a huge difference for me,” he says. “You are constantly applying what you learn. It’s not just theory. It’s practical and it’s useful.”  

Looking back, Dichter sums up the experience simply. “Whitman gave me the skills. The internship showed me how to use them.”  

By Bo BenYehuda