As I sit and write this blog post, I am nearing the end of a truly eye-opening and transformative internship experience at Nestle USA. I am actually one of three Boothies interning here this summer (pictured above), out of a group of four Summer Associates in DC!
I chose Nestle because I wanted to grow my experience in marketing within the food and beverage industry. That said, I ended up learning so much more than I expected: how to work with a cross-functional team, how to analyze a profit & loss statement, how to evaluate food like a true critic, and more than I could ever imagine about everything from powdered coffee creamer to Cold Brew. As the internship unwinds (and class bidding begins), I am left with a sense of what I’d like to learn more about once I get back on campus.
Here are a few of things my internship is inspiring me to dig into during my second year at Booth:
The legal side of business
Both my projects this summer offered me the opportunity to run some ideas by our legal team. This was especially the case with recommendations I made around claims, which is why I was particularly excited to see that Booth is offering a course called The Legal Infrastructure of Business. The course will be a nice overview of antitrust, intellectual property, and even legal considerations around IPOs and e-commerce.
Emerging food and beverage trends
I heard so much this summer about the importance of sourcing inspiration around trends. There was a lot of talk in particular about findings at Expo East and West, among the largest annual conventions for natural products. I’m looking forward to attending more of the events hosted by FEAD (Food, Environment, Agriculture and Development Group), which ran some awesome events last year, including one on the Future of Protein (yes, lab grown meat was a topic) and another on innovation and the food value chain.
Management and leadership
We frequently asked our colleagues about the most useful classes to take in our second year at Booth—and we consistently heard across the board: hone in on your soft skills! I’m looking forward to taking classes that touch on leading and managing teams. Like next quarter, i’m planning to take Managing in Organizations taught by Ann McGill, which really dives into the importance of understanding human behavior to successfully manage other people.
I cannot believe how quickly this summer has passed and I am definitely a bit sentimental about leaving, but I am so ready and excited for the year ahead.
Nestle Summer Associates at Retreat Week
Obviously our internship wasn’t all work and no play.
