HWS News
8 October 2025 • Alums Alumni Connections Open Doors in Healthcare Communications
Nicholas Jones ’26 and Nikolina Stanic ’26 explore the healthcare industry through internships at SAKS Health.
Nicholas Jones ’26 and Nikolina Stanic ’26 interned this summer with SAKS Health, a healthcare marketing and communications firm founded by Khawar Khokhar ’00, whom Jones and Stanic say was very supportive to them.
With team members and affiliates across North America, Europe and Asia, SAKS Health provides strategic and creative market plans for pharmaceutical, biotechnology, health system and wellness client partners. Khokhar founded the New Jersey-based firm in 2017. By 2022, the company landed at No. 331 on Inc. 5000’s annual list of America’s fastest growing private companies with revenue growth of 1,730 percent over three years.
Jones and Stanic connected with SAKS through Director of Employer Development and Engagement in the Salisbury Center for Career, Professional and Experiential Education Shayne Feinberg, who says each summer, Khokhar opens the door at SAKS for interns interested in the healthcare industry.
Jones, a double major in economics and business management & entrepreneurship with a concentration in writing & rhetoric, says the experience “taught me the communications, attention to detail and organizational skills that are imperative to tackling multiple projects, all in different stages, at once.”
While he devoted most of his time to market research, supported by team-led seminars that introduced him to the complexities of the pharmaceutical industry, Jones also worked on a large-scale project exploring the future of preventative medicine.
Jones credits HWS with preparing him to thrive in SAKS’ demanding environment. HWS, he says, taught him that when his values align with his work, he will be more satisfied, fulfilled and ambitious when undertaking difficult ventures. “Undoubtedly, HWS enabled me to discover my passions and provided me with the tools necessary to take action,” Jones says.
On campus, Jones is involved with the Druid Society, Kappa Alpha Society, the Bozzuto Center for Entrepreneurship, the Food Recovery Network, the Office of Admissions and Big Brothers Big Sisters.
For Stanic, the internship presented a unique challenge: working remotely from her home in Serbia while bridging a six-hour time difference with her international team. “The international setting required strong communication, flexibility and adaptability,” she reflects. Navigating these differences sharpened her collaborative skills and deepened her ability to work seamlessly with colleagues from varied professional backgrounds.
Although pharmaceuticals fall outside her major in mathematics, Stanic sought the opportunity as a chance to grow. “The overall HWS liberal arts environment, engaging with diverse classes, and developing open-mindedness equipped me for this brand-new opportunity,” she explains.
On campus, Stanic is a member of the William Smith basketball team, Finance Society and Investment Club. She also serves as a civic leader for the Boys and Girls Club of Geneva, a Community Advisor and O’Laughlin Ambassador with the Office of Admissions. She is the founder of the Photography Club and a recreational basketball club.
Top: Nikolina Stanic ’26 and Nicholas Jones ’26
