Summer Internship Series: Crystal, Priya and Vinatie

The summer is coming to an end and so are our internships! Therefore, this will be the last installment of the Summer Internships Series. Thank you to everyone who contributed, I hope you all enjoyed learning about what the Rutgers MBA Class of 2016 was up to this summer! For our last update, we've got Crystal Orr, Priya Shivkumar and Vinatie Pasricha talking about their experiences this summer. 

Crystal, a Marketing student, is working for HP in New Jersey...

"Hello everyone!! I am currently a MBA Global Marketing & Communications Intern at Hewlett Packard, working in the Financial Services (HPFS) business unit right here in New Jersey. I actually started in March and my internship is for a year, so I’ll still be here part time once the semester begins.

It’s an exciting time right now at HP as the company is going through a separation and will be split into two organizations in November. I am definitely here at a good time because I am getting the firsthand experience of going through a large transition at a top 20 company and involved in the process of implementing and communicating a new brand strategy (names, logos and messaging) to employees, customers and partners.

Currently, I work on various projects focusing on global internal communications and sales and colleague engagement. Some of my daily tasks include designing and creating content for our intranet pages, Yammer account (internal social media), and internal reference materials to support the sales team including separation information. I am also learning everyday about IT consumption and the financial aspect of technology for businesses and enterprises.  

I’ve had diverse and interesting experiences here thus far, ranging from volunteering for the Take your Kids to Work Day activities to donating blood for the first time to attending a Brooklyn Nets game.  One of my first major projects was actually coordinating the second annual HPFS mini golf tournament for philanthropy day with proceeds going to Room to Read. This was a fun experience as I love to plan events and got the opportunity to meet a lot of colleagues in the office.

Since, I will not have an official summer break prior to starting school again, I’m headed to New Orleans next week for a few days of fun! See you all soon!"

Priya, concentrating in Finance, writes from Madison, NJ...

"This summer I am interning with Quest Diagnostics in their Corporate Finance function. Within Finance, I am with the Revenue Recognition and Analytics team, which has a mix of both - Accounting and Finance. My team and other corporate functions are largely based out of Giralda farms in Madison, NJ, which is a beautiful location! My project over the summer was to develop analytical tools to evaluate the cash collected against the accounts receivables recorded for each of Quest's business units. 

Through the summer, various lunch and learns were organized for the interns where we got a chance to meet Executive Directors and VP's from different parts of finance. The CFO attend our final presentations earlier this week and it was really good to get so much face time with him over the summer. Glad to be done with my presentation even though my internship runs for 2 more weeks!  Over the summer, I also went on a lab tour (Quest's main lab is @Teterboro) and had a lunch and learn session with an ex-FBI guy who is now the head of Corporate security at Quest. Interesting experiences! 

There is a girl in my team who is an excellent baker and makes amazing stuff for birthday's and other events ..so all of us wait for someone's birthday to come up so that we get some home baked goodies! Everyone is really nice here and its been a wonderful summer. Look forward to wrapping up my project soon but will miss working once school starts! 

PS: And yes, there is a huge Rutgers contingent here at Quest." 

Vinatie, who is specializing in Marketing and Marketing Research Insights & Analytics, checks in from Iselin, NJ...

"This summer, I am interning at Ansell, the personal protective equipment company that makes gloves, condoms and clothing. The company is organized into four global business units – Industrial, Medical, Single Use and Sexual Wellness. I am working for the Single Use Global Business Unit as the Global Branding and Strategic Marcom Intern with the Global Marketing team. What makes this business unit exciting, is the fact that it was created just a year back as a result of an organizational restructure and the integration of Ansell with the recently acquired BarrierSafe Solutions International, Inc.

The object of my projects for the summer is to assist the team in product integration, portfolio optimization and create tools to elevate the expertise of the sales team. For my first project, I am assisting in the development of competitive positioning statements for all disposable gloves based on a newly created segmentation matrix. This will help them drive clearer differentiation and better integrate Ansell single-use products with BarrierSafe products. My second project is to develop a demo kit, which will allow our sales representatives to demonstrate how Ansell gloves perform better compared to competitor gloves. For this, I have been working closely with the R&D team and creative agency to design tests to demonstrate attributes such as ergonomics, enhanced grip, chemical resistance and puncture resistance.

It’s hard to believe that the internship is already coming to an end with just 2 weeks left! I have really enjoyed working with my team. The culture is extremely collaborative and transparent, which makes everyone in the organization very approachable.

For those who have been following the blog, you have already heard from Susan about the lunch & learns organized by HR. These weekly sessions have been a great way for us to meet senior executives and learn about the company and the business. Some of the exciting ones were with the CEO, CFO, President of the Single Use GBU and Head of Sales for NA. Last week, Ansell organized a day cruise around Staten Island for all employees. It was a refreshing change, a great way to experience the true company culture and network with everyone!"

Thanks to all for reading each week! And good luck to the Class of 2017, who will be starting Orientation this upcoming Monday. Can't believe we went through all that a year ago, time has flown by. I look forward to seeing everyone in less than a month! Enjoy the rest of your internships and rock those final presentations! 

Summer Internship Series: Vanessa, Joseph and Swathi

CPG, IT, Pharma - we've got it all this week! Thank you Vanessa Duvert, Joseph Jao and Swathi Rangan for sharing your internship experiences with us! 

Vanessa, concentrating in Marketing and Marketing Research Insights & Analytics, is working at Campbell Soup Company this summer...

"I was super excited to find out that I was assigned to the Chunky Soup brand this summer. It's a beloved brand that has a unique position in the enterprise. As an Associate Brand Manager Intern, it's a particularly exciting time to be on board. This year, the marketing internship program was revamped to provide a more robust experience. During the first two weeks of the internship we were spilt into two groups of five. One group worked on a recommendation plan to advise the company on corporate transparency efforts. My group worked on advising the company on how to capture millennial consumers. After presenting to the marketing leadership team We each moved on to our brand assignments. My project is to develop a marketing strategy for Chunky to create value and differentiation in the market. To do this I'm considering positioning and promotional tactics to drive demand. It's been a great experience and I look forward to presenting in the next 2 weeks. 

Although the office is in Camden, I've been living in Philadelphia. There's been so many fun activities planned for the intern class like Phillies games, consumer test kitchens, and bowling downtown. What I've enjoyed most are the weekly coffee chats with senior leaders including our president, CMO and several VPs. The level of exposure is outstanding and it's made for a great summer."

Joseph is a Supply Chain Management student spending his summer working in Boise, ID...

"This summer I am interning at Micron Technology, which is the last and only memory chip maker in the US. Micron provides comprehensive memory solutions in four major applications which are PC, mobile device, enterprise storage, and automotive. The company, founded in 1978, is based in Boise, ID and has global operations with manufacturing sites in the US and Asia.

I am working in the mobile business unit, which is the fastest growing segment in the company, as a Product Line Management Intern. One month before starting my internship, my supervisor took on a new role called Program Manager, and is responsible for executing and facilitating cross-functional team efforts to ensure smooth delivery of projects through a product life cycle. It is a new function area in the new organization. The selected projects are critical to the company’s growth and security of market share. So far, I have been working with my manager to get the alignment with all the stakeholders that are responsible for different function areas like marketing, R&D, manufacturing, supply chain management, etc. My job requires me to hold strong product knowledge, process familiarity and good communication skills to succeed. Since Micron has been expanding its operations through acquisition, we need to work with different geographical locations like Asia and Europe. I find it challenging, but very exciting to participate in the process as the program manager plays a key role in the success of the projects. The work culture in the company is good, I feel very comfortable working with my team. People in the company do not treat you differently because you are just an intern. People are so respectful of each other, and this is what the company appreciates and I like it very much.

Micron recruits most of the interns in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Computer Science from schools on the West Coast and in the Midwest. As a MBA student from New Jersey, I feel like I am a rare species in the intern groups. But it is very nice to hang out with those engineers after work hours and on the weekends, discovering Boise and its proximity. I am close to some interns who are living in the same complex with me and we have done some fun outdoor activities like mountain hiking and river rafting together in Boise. I still have six weeks to finish my internship and have been enjoying everything here so far. I think Boise is an underrated city in the US and I would love to come back for work!"   

Swathi is pursuing dual concentrations in Pharmaceutical Management and Marketing, as well as an MS in Biomedical Sciences...

"This summer I've been fortunate enough to intern with the US Marketing group at Ortho Clinical Diagnostics, a (insert surprised reaction here) diagnostics firm based out of Raritan, New Jersey.  Ortho Clinical was initially a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, but mid-last year was acquired by The Carlyle Group- a private equity firm.  This divestiture has actually resulted in immense growth for the company, as it now functions as a stand-alone global firm that is able to specialize on certain product lines.

One of the greatest advantages I've had during this experience was in essence taking over a marketing role rather than an internship- while I do have one major 'intern project' within our clinical chemistry line, I get placed on other tasks as they rise in importance.  I've learned about pricing promotions, marketing communications, developing customer facing content and a vast majority of other marketing functions.  This has been accomplished all while interacting with sales teams, executives, engineers, and scientists proving to be a truly cross functional role.  Another huge benefit is that I've been able to travel to multiple locations- my internship actually started with a week in LA for a product launch within our transfusion medicine line.  I'm currently in Rochester this week for a series of meetings, and next week I will be off to Atlanta for the annual AACC conference (American Association of Clinical Chemistry), which is one of our most important events for the year. 

Since I'm still in New Jersey, I've been able to see some of our Rutgers MBA folk on occasion, and have been heading out to NYC on the weekends.  Next weekend I will actually be traveling out to Chicago for some fun (and I'll be able to meet up with some business school people as well)!  While it will be nice to get out of Jersey for a weekend, my internship has been (and I am certain, will continue to be) a great experience over the three month duration, and I'm excited to see the long term results of my direct work."

That's all for now! I know the summer is almost coming to a close and many people are finishing up the last few weeks of their internships, but have no fear! We'll be back next week to hear from more members of the Class of 2016!

Summer Internship Series: Kamali, Kinshuk and Bryce

It's Friday!!!! Kamali Thompson, Kinshuk Saxena and Bryce Kanter are talking about their internship experiences today...

Kamali is a dual MBA/MD student at Rutgers Business School and Robert Wood Johnson Medical School...

"This summer I am fortunate to work in one of my favorite places, New York City. Having explored many areas of the city, I am now able to familiarize myself with Hell’s Kitchen, the location of the Medscape office. At Medscape, a subsidiary of WebMD, I am interning with the Project Coordination team. 

One of Medscape’s main features is CME (Continuing Medical Education), a requirement for healthcare professionals to ensure they are learning about developing areas in their field. I have been given several responsibilities to complete for the duration of my internship. My purpose on the project coordination team is to manage the CME activities and ensure everything is in order for the project to move from one step to another. During my 5^th week in the internship, I began a retrospective study in collaboration with the product management team. In the study, I am examining correlations between the activities Medscape offers and preference of these activities among specific age groups of physician completers to help Medscape increase efficiency in teaching.

Working at Medscape has been the perfect opportunity to combine my medical and business backgrounds. In the rare moments I have downtime, I watch Medscape lectures to recollect information I learned in medical school. Every Wednesday, the interns have a lunch & learn with one of the leaders of WebMD or Medscape to gain a better understanding of each department’s role. The best part of the lunch & learn is going to the downtown WebMD office, which is in the same building as Nike and Google!

After the completion of my internship, I have the pleasure of attending 3 weddings and a music festival almost every weekend! In the meantime, if anyone wants to visit a rooftop lounge after work in NYC you know who to call!"

Kinshuk is spending his summer in East Hanover, NJ...

"They say a picture is worth a thousand words and perhaps this one says it all. I feel privileged to be interning for a company with a true passion for transforming people’s lives. With over $47B in global revenue, Novartis is the world’s largest pharma major. I am currently interning at the company’s US Headquarters in East Hanover, NJ.

One of my projects have been centered around strategizing a model for selection of multi-media production agencies that would help us carry out product launches for key novel brands at Novartis. This involves interacting with supplier partners, evaluating their pitch and finally awarding the business to a select few based on a predefined set of holistic criterion. This role excites me because it requires a delicate balance of analytical skills, relationship development and of course consensus building. My other project is to create alignment around the competencies of more than 200 marketing vendors within the Market Access, Insights and Analytics category with a total spend of over $200 M.

Outside of work, I had a chance to volunteer for a walk in support of Cystic Fibrosis research (see pic below). The fundraiser helped collect around a million dollars in funds for research to seek a more effective cure for Cystic Fibrosis, a disease which affects thousands of patients worldwide. In addition, we recently toured a cutting edge manufacturing facility for CTL019, a drug that promises to cure Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, ALL, a type of cancer (top pic). In a nutshell, my second stint with Novartis has been a deeply gratifying and enriching experience."

Bryce is studying Pharmaceutical Marketing and Management at RBS, while simultaneously earning his MS in Biomedical Sciences at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School...

"This summer I am interning with the US Neurology Brand Team at Bayer HealthCare in Whippany, NJ. The main project I’m working on is to strengthen the claims and layout of the website for Bayer’s multiple sclerosis medication, Betaseron.  I have also been assisting with the vendor transition for Betaseron’s nursing support service, ensuring all previous business practices are maintained and improved where possible during the migration from old to new vendor.

So far it has been a great summer. Below is a list of my top 10 summer internship highlights:

1. Seeing firsthand how a pharmaceutical marketing team functions and makes decisions

 

2. Networking: I met a couple people who have given me meaningful advice as I move forward in my career

3. Working on a project where in a couple months I will be able to log onto the website for Betaseron and see changes that were the result of my recommendations

4.  Opportunity to go on a ride-a-long in the field

5. Playing basketball every Tuesday after work

6. Discounted Starbucks coffee shop on the first floor

7. Eating at the Bayer café twice a day for breakfast and lunch: they got everything from fresh fruit, baked goods, and made-to-order omelets in the morning to make-your-own sandwiches and Mongolian grill for lunch

8. All you can eat Flintstones vitamins

9. Receiving a paycheck every two weeks: It is nice to purchase a beer after work with real money, not my student loan

10. No School/Homework/Papers/Tests: Freak that stuff"

Thanks Kamali, Kinshuk and Bryce for contributing! Tune in next week for more updates!