1. How did you secure your internship?
   
   The Hershey Company recruited me through Smith. I was allowed several opportunities to network with Hershey employees and alumni to learn about the internship opportunity prior to applying to the position through HireSmith and receiving an interview.
   
2. How did Smith assist you with the internship?
   
   The Office of Career Services (OCS) provided several training sessions to help me prepare for my interview, including an Advertising Analysis event, which was led by a Hershey alumnus. OCS also provided me with the opportunity to attend a company information session as well as do a mock phone interview with a Hershey alumnus. Once I received the interview, I met numerous times with my OCS career advisor, who helped me practice interview questions and perfect my Situation, Action Result (SAR) answers.
   
3. What is your career goal after graduation and how do you plan on leveraging this internship opportunity to achieve that goal?
   
   My internship in the marketing department at Hershey was such a great experience that it has convinced me to pursue a job in the marketing department with a CPG company post-graduation. Throughout my internship, I developed a strong network of well-connected individuals, and developed the skills necessary to work successfully in brand marketing. While I know it is likely that I could leverage my internship opportunity at Hershey to attain a full time marketing position at other well-known CPG companies, I was lucky enough to receive an offer for full time employment from Hershey, and am happily accepting their offer.
   
4. How did Smith prepare you for this opportunity?
   
   Without Smith, I never would have received the opportunity to be a marketing intern at Hershey. Along with the extensive knowledge gained from my professors and group projects, OCS gave me the confidence to excel in my interviews and provided me the opportunity to network with Hershey alumni that would otherwise have been out of reach.
   
   Both the highlight and most challenging moment of my internship was when I presented my final project to Hershey’s senior management, which included several Vice Presidents, Directors, as well as my brand team. My project, which was to develop opportunities for Ice Breakers Ice Cubes gum, allowed me to demonstrate my learning and strategic capabilities as a brand manager. After my 20-minute presentation, every Vice President asked me questions, some of which were extremely challenging. Nonetheless, I walked away from my presentation feeling great and excited to have had the opportunity to affect a real project at a well-known company like Hershey.

Hometown: Bryan, TX

Undergraduate University & Major: Vassar College, Art History and International Economics

MBA Concentration: Marketing

Industry & Function before MBA: Food Manufacturing Industry, Customer Service Specialist/Marketing Coordinator

Are you a career switcher? No

Career goals: Work in the marketing department of a Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) company

MBA Student Clubs: Graduate Marketing Association; Media, Sports & Entertainment Association; Smith Association of Women MBA’s

Extracurricular activities: Global Study Abroad to India, Hilton Case Competition, Consulting Project with Mars Inc. and the Center for Complexity in Business

Favorite thing about Smith or MBA program so far: Excellent marketing elective courses and meeting so many unique people