Internship Spotlight on Nick Nguyenquang

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Business School Internship, Eberhardt School of Business Internship

by Rebecca Teichmann

Nick Nguyenquang intern with San Joaquin Media Group

Pacific marketing student Nick Nguyenquang found his Advertising Operations & Marketing Internship online using employer websites and other online resources.  This required self-motivation and personal initiative for Nick to set himself apart through the online application process, as opposed to working directly with a hiring manager.

Nick’s internship allowed him to be creative and use IT to be innovative in a complex multi-media environment. One of his responsibilities included assisting with development of the new eCommerce site called Limelightdeals, a project created by the Dow Jones Local Media Group which uses Mactive Adbase Software to maintain a complex schedule, including but not exclusive to advertisements for San Joaquin Lifestyles, San Joaquin Woman, Valley Home Finder & Valley Marketplace, as well as the Stockton Record Newspaper.  Other responsibilities included publishing sales reports, handling contracts for sales personnel, and utilizing company reports and SEM data to efficiently research and develop strategies for new customer acquisition.

 

When asked to express one of the most rewarding experiences from his internship at San Joaquin Media Group, Nick shared that part of his internship involved participating in a college recruitment fair, during which he found himself on the other side of the proverbial “recruitment table.”  At the recruitment fair, Nick was able to identify with students he could personally relate to.

While there are always challenges associated with transitioning from schoolwork to cubicle, this was not Nick’s first internship.  In fact, he has had 3 internships!  While the experience in each one has been unique, Nick recognizes the value in being able to “test-drive” a variety of companies while gaining valuable work experience as a student.  Nick’s other internships include:

• Marketing Intern with San Franola Granola
• Sales & Business Development Intern with Square Inc.

Nick found he needed to quickly adjust to long hours on top of academic responsibilities, but the benefits outweighed the challenges.  This internship provided an opportunity to practice the analytical skills learned from textbooks in a real world setting.

For information on the career management center at the eberhardt school: http://www.pacific.edu/Academics/Schools-and-Colleges/Eberhardt-School-of-Business/Centers-and-Institutes/Career-Management-Center.html 

Internship Spotlight on Chantal Divinity

Tags

Business School Internship, Eberhardt School of Business Internship

Chantal Divinity completed an internship in strategic planning with the San Joaquin Regional Transit District (aka SJRTD), the local agency that provides transportation services across San Joaquin County, including Stockton, Manteca, Tracy, Ripon and others. The agency also provides special services to community members with physical disabilities under the American Disabilities Act.

Chantal found her internship at Pacific’s Career & Internship Fair last spring.  SJRTD was actually one of the last tables she approached. The recruiter informed her that a paid internship with SJRTD would give her an opportunity to work with people, which related to Chantal’s academic concentration in Human Resources.

Reflecting on the experience, Chantal enjoyed the office environment, as well as being able to work at her own pace and not being micromanaged.  She felt that management trusted her to meet deadlines and that she was a part of a team that accomplished goals collectively, as opposed to independently.

One of Chantal’s most memorable experiences was participating in SJRTD’s Stockton Family Day.  She expected to give in-depth information regarding regional transit to Stockton families, but instead had the opportunity to mentor Stockton youth about the benefits of public transportation. Another unexpected benefit of Chantal’s internship was that she was able to participate in Tai Chi/Kick-Boxing with members of the management team.  Fellow co-workers and even the planning manager participated in a group workout, which turned out to be an opportunity to get to know the team outside the office environment.

Through this internship, Chantal learned the importance of being a self-starter.  From the very beginning of her internship, she had limited supervision on her assignments, which required her to take initiative and to figure out what needed to be done for her department when management was out of the office, while keeping in mind the long term strategic plan of the company. 

Chantal Divinity – Planning Intern San Joaquin Regional Transit District

Internship Spotlight on Nikco Aliwalas

Tags

Business School Internship, eberhardt, Eberhardt School of Business Internship

By Rebecca Teichmann

Nikco Aliwalas

Entering his senior year at the University of the Pacific, Nikco found his first accounting internship through connections of family friends.  Being able to live at home and still commute made the entire experience much easier and more relaxed.

Throughout the experience, Nikco constantly challenged himself to not only do more, but to learn more.  Some projects were less than exciting, like data entry and assisting in year-end account closures, but other projects required him to take initiative, like an innovative project that would convert old paper records into the newer database software.  Early on, Nikco recognized that taking advantage of modern-day accounting and record-keeping software optimized efficiency.

Nikco combined classroom knowledge with personal insight to develop a strategy that would offer the organization continued benefit even after the completion of his short-term internship.  The project included multiple steps.  The first step was to get consent from each doctor to set up an account for each insurance company that offered online verification.  This proved to be a challenge as many of the seasoned doctors were hesitant about the change as they tend to be unfamiliar with online verification.  Nikco had to explain how the verification process would be more efficient and reduce wait time to verify insurance payments, while also allowing the bookkeepers to increase the amount of accounts that can be processed.

Through these conversations Nikco recognized a common generational workforce issue.  He had the opportunity to see firsthand how important effective communication is when working with others of varied ages and backgrounds.  According to some studies, by 2020 the Millennial generation will make up 40-50% of the workforce.  Through this experience, Nikco learned how to address generational differences and generational gaps in the workplace, and had the opportunity to develop soft skills which are becoming increasingly more important, not only in the context of the accounting industry but also in the professional world across sectors.

Intern Profile – Ngan Le

by Rebecca Teichmann

Pacific student Ngan Le completed her internship at public accounting firm KPMG this past summer. One of the “Big Four” accounting firms, KPMG has many locations around the world. She worked as an Audit Services Intern in the Silicon Valley office, and upon completion of her internship she was extended a full-time offer after graduation.

Ngan Le, Intern for KPMG

Ngan first heard about KPMG’s internship opportunities when a campus recruiter gave a presentation about the firm during one of her upper division classes during her junior year. She attended Eberhardt School of Business Career Management Center’s annual “Meet the Firms” event, and was able to network with KPMG employees and recruiters before pursuing an on-campus interview.

During the internship, Ngan was on an engagement team that worked with Electronic Arts, a popular video game production company.  Ngan highlighted KPMG’s office culture as one of the things she truly enjoyed about her internship. The environment was filled with fun professionals, far from the “bean-counting” accounting stereotype. Her favorite memory was traveling to Orlando, Florida for training. Although the training was intensive, she was able to network, learn from, and connect with other interns. When asked about unexpected benefits of her experience, she discussed how she was able to meet and interact with top-level executives – she was surprised at how accessible KPMG’s executives were to an intern like herself.

Ngan advises underclassmen to focus on doing well in their accounting courses and to seek leadership opportunities during their undergraduate career – she shared that her leadership experience was a key area that helped her succeed in the internship.

Alumni Career Profile Day

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Eberhardt Alumni

ESB alumni Robert Barsamian ’07 of Aerotek and Lisa Lam ’07 of PG&E chat with current students during the networking mixer

On October 22, more than a dozen Pacific Alumni descended on the Eberhardt School of Business for our tenth annual Alumni Career Profile Day. Professionals from a wide variety of industries were represented and collectively brought more than 150 years of experiences to share.

Throughout the day, undergraduate and graduate business students had the opportunity to speak one-on-one with business alumni through informational interviews. Informational interviews give students the chance to ask questions and get answers from alumni who work in the industry the student is pursuing. These interviews also allow students to practice professional behavior, and to think critically about which questions to ask to solicit the most valuable information from a working professional.

A subset of the alumni in attendance participated in two panel discussions. One panel focused on “Climbing the Corporate Ladder” and featured alums Colleen Farris ’05, Bryan Quinn ’05, Lisa Lam ’07, and Robert Thomas ’07 who have each successfully navigated three or more promotional moves since the start of their business careers. A second panel featured Erin Taylor ’99, John Godi ’95, Brian Monighetti ’96,’97, & Angela Rosenquist ’01,’03, all Eberhardt MBA alums who discussed the influence the MBA degree has had on their career success.

After an exciting day of collaboration between students and alumni, all Eberhardt students and faculty were invited to enjoy food, drinks, and more time with the alumni at the Networking Mixer. The event allowed students to practice their networking skills while developing valuable relationships with alumni. It also allowed alumni to connect with each other, with faculty, and with business students who may end up being their next intern or full-time hire!

Internship Spotlight – David Lee

Tags

Business School Internship, Eberhardt School of Business Internship

By Rebecca Teichmann, MBA ’13

Recent MBA graduate David Lee interned this past summer with Bio-Rad, a medical product and software services company in the East Bay.  Founded in 1952 by David and Alice Schwartz, Bio-Rad has more than 7,000 employees worldwide, with sales revenue exceeding $2 billion in 2011.  The company’s mission is “to provide useful and high-quality products that advance scientific discovery and improve healthcare.”

David Lee at Bio-Rad for his summer internship

The healthcare industry was definitely an area of interest that David identified prior to securing his internship. The breakthrough in connecting with the Bio-Rad hiring manager came through a personal connection employed by the company.  David’s girlfriend’s mother was able to connect him to the HR department when she heard the company was offering MBA internships.  Another internship he secured as an undergrad was in large part due to a personal connection as well – a testament to utilizing one’s personal network when searching for a job or internship!

Reflecting on working for a company with 7000 employees worldwide, David noted that the Bio-Rad culture was different from the smaller companies where he had previously worked.  Bio-Rad allowed him more access to a wide variety of people in different departments, but he also found that his role was focused on a specific strategic IT-related project.  Working with the Project Management Office comprised of a small team of Bio-Rad professionals, David contributed to producing the product requirements definition and initial testing to transition the vendor management submission process from a largely manual process to a system driven electronic process.  In addition to the technical requirements gathering and workflow process mapping he produced, David was able to exercise his communication and presentation skills by conducting training sessions on the system with internal groups.

David has not yet decided whether he will continue to pursue a career in medical technology, but he found his internship to be a very valuable experience.  Not only did David gain experience in a highly reputable company, but he has also found that the internship experience made the second-year MBA course material more relevant, especially for his classmates with limited work experience or who came straight from the undergraduate level to the MBA program.

David Lee, MBA ’12

Internship Spotlight – Amparito Galvan

Tags

Business School Internship, Eberhardt School of Business Internship

By Rebecca Teichmann, MBA ’13

Amparito Galvan, intern Armanino McKenna LLP

This past summer, Amparito worked for Armanino McKenna as an Audit Intern in San Ramon, California. Reflecting on working a standard “9 to 5” schedule, she noted that being treated and expected to work as a professional was perhaps the most difficult challenge early in the internship, yet by the end, it was also the most rewarding part of the experience.

When asked about her favorite memory while working at Armanino, she said “Going to an A’s game with the rest of the office was the most rewarding experience because not only did I get to take some time off of work to enjoy a baseball game, but I got to feel assimilated into the company culture.” The bonding experience extended beyond befriending the experienced professionals who were her co-workers; in fact, Amparito’s friendships with other interns made her internship less difficult because they were able to share information and help each other out with projects and work assignments. Amparito reflected on establishing relationships during her experience: “Internal networking is just as important as external networking – you never know when you will need someone’s help and having that good relationship definitely pays off.”

Internal networking is just as important as external networking – you never know when you will need someone’s help and having that good relationship definitely pays off.

When asked about unexpected aspects of her experience, she acknowledged that she didn’t expect to thoroughly enjoy the work the way that she did. Amparito enjoyed going out on client meetings, commuting all over the Bay Area, and learning about other businesses in addition to performing her auditing duties. Another notable experience Amparito felt was worth mentioning was working under different managers.  She found this very challenging, but a value-rich experience. She wasn’t afraid to ask questions and she certainly wasn’t afraid to step up to the plate when work needed to be done.

Securing a competitive accounting internship can be a challenge, but Amparito’s story is a good one.  She first met a representative from Armanino at the Eberhardt School of Business Career Management Center’s annual “Meet the Firms” event, and used the connection to continue engaging in conversation with the company.  She kept in close contact with the representative, and was able to find out about internship opportunities as soon as they became available. Amparito admitted that being proactive was critical in helping her get the internship, and succeed in the position throughout the internship.  She said “People often underestimate how important it is to ask questions and show that you are not only paying attention, but interested in the work that you are doing.” One question that Amparito asked her coworkers around the office whenever she could was, “What did you do to get to where you are today, and what can I do to get there?” This is a bold question that shows a hunger for knowledge and a drive to succeed. It takes a combination of punctuality, proactive behavior, engagement, and a wide variety of other traits to standout as a young professional, and Amparito is a great example.

Internship Interview with Bryce McLaughlin

By Rebecca Teichmann, MBA ’13

STUDENT: Bryce McLaughlin               COMPANY: NetApp

Never heard of NetApp?  You’re not alone, but if you are a Pacific student, you have used NetApp technology more than once.  Several of our very own Pacific servers are powered by NetApp technology, as well as other companies you may recognize, like Yahoo! and Cisco Systems.

Founded in 1992, NetApp is a Fortune 500 company with an annual revenue stream of more than $6 billion.  Originally founded as a business to business technology company in the Silicon Valley, NetApp now employs more than 12,000 employees in 150 locations worldwide.

Bryce McLaughlin started his internship search on the first day of school.  He quickly identified an interest in market research, and set up an alert on the website SimplyHired, so that each time a listing was posted that mentioned “Market Research,” he received a notification via email.  That’s how he heard about internships at NetApp.

Once he identified NetApp as an ideal company to target, Bryce searched LinkedIn for mutual connections.  Turned out, our very own Margaret Roberts was connected to a recruiter at NetApp, and she was gracious enough to reach out to her connection.  Bryce is unsure if the connection helped in his quest for an interview with NetApp, but it certainly didn’t hurt, and after applying online he was contacted for interviews with THREE separate internship opportunities within the company.  Ultimately, he interviewed twice for the internship he accepted.  After an exciting summer in the Silicon Valley with NetApp, the internship was extended and he has since moved to Fremont to continue working for NetApp while finishing up his MBA.

NetApp’s campus is comprised of 13 buildings with gym facilities, volleyball court, and space to practice putting, but Bryce (2nd from left) and fellow interns were also able to take time to hike one of the Bay Area’s many trails.

When asked to reflect on his internship experience, Bryce mentioned a few unexpected surprises, including living in luxury apartments provided by the company, with full accommodations including maid service, as well as the opportunity to network with other young professionals.  Another unexpected surprise was the Executive Speaker Series, where interns were able to hear talks from and ask questions of the high level executives you wish you could stop in the hallway and strike up a conversation with.  His favorite talk was the day the NetApp Founders came to visit, a unique experience at NetApp because most founders leave their companies quickly, yet the founders of NetApp have been with the company since they started the company 20 years ago.  Having the opportunity to speak with high level executives was an extremely valuable experience.

Bryce (1st on the left) representing NetApp at a career fair where participants were able to learn more about a wide variety of companies in the Silicon Valley.

On a final note, I asked Bryce what advice he would give to first year MBA students like me, and his advice was to make the most of the Eberhardt Business School Career Management Center.  They know what they’re doing, and they can help you figure out where you are in the internship search, and how to use that search to find the ideal internship that will lead you to an ideal job.

Business Forecasting Center Student Interns

The Business Forecasting Center welcomes to the staff three new business student interns.

The Business Forecasting Center at the University of the Pacific was founded in 2004. Housed in the Eberhardt School of Business, the Center produces quarterly economic forecast of California and 10 Metropolitan areas from Sacramento to Fresno and the San Francisco Bay Area. For more information on the Business Forecasting Center visit http://forecast.pacific.edu

Jennifer Li, Intern

Jennifer Li is a junior studying accounting and finance. Jennifer has chosen to intern with the Business Forecasting Center because she wanted to gain valuable work experience, but also wanted to become more aware of the economic environment. Jennifer is currently in two business organizations at Pacific, Delta Sigma Pi, a professional business fraternity, and Beta Alpha Psi, an honorary financial organizations. When she is not busy with school, work, or organizations, Jennifer enjoys reading novels and playing sports.

Alex Malkis, Intern

Alex Malkis was born in Ukraine and moved to Israel in a young age, which makes him fluent in all three languages, Russian, Hebrew and English. Today he is a junior at the Eberhardt School of Business, pursuing his bachelor degree in business/finance, and a minor in economics. He is a dedicated student athlete, balancing his time effectively among school, sports and extracurricular activities. His dominance in the water is what has brought him to Pacific, and earned an All-American award his first year. Beside finance and economics, he is also very passionate about social entrepreneurship. With the Business Forecasting Center he sees the opportunity to apply his academic and hand-on skills in a real work working environment, while gaining the required experience that will prepare him for the future.

Miraya Arroyo, Intern

Miraya Alexis Arroyo is a senior majoring in Business Administration with a concentration in finance. She was born in Sacramento and raised in Elk Grove. Miraya attended St. Francis High School and was a member of the Pink Ladies Club, a club dedicated to raising money for breast cancer. At the University of the Pacific she is a member of Kappa Alpha Theta, a philanthropic sorority that is actively involved in helping Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping children in the foster system. In addition to her sorority, she also worked as a student assistant for the State Water Resources Control Board for almost two years. After graduation this year, she hopes to move to the Bay Area and work in a finance related field.

Cultural Experience 2012

Tags

business school, china, eberhardt, undergraduate

By Geoffrey Lim | Summer 2012

What I found to be the most interesting during this China trip was when we went to visit Shanghai Normal University Tian Hua College during the Dragon Boat Festival Weekend. It was a great experience to be able to have a formal meeting with the local Chinese students unlike at Shanghai Finance University. The program that Tian Hua set up for us was very well organized and I felt very welcomed by all of the students there. It would have been great if Shanghai Finance University had some sort of orientation where we could meet the students there and get to know them better instead of just an informal meeting during lunch.

All the students at Tian Hua were friendly and wanted to teach us about Chinese culture. Also we were able to repay the favor to them by sharing out experiences with them from UOP and America. They were able to practice their English while we attempted to practice our Chinese with them. I had a great time just talking to my partner and getting to know her and getting to know the school. The events that Tian Hua had prepared for us were also a great learning experience for all of us visiting that day. We were able to learn how to make rice dumplings and the reason for why they are made for the dragon boat festival. The riddles that they prepared for us were interesting and fun, also it was a real treat for us to hear one of the Tian Hua students play the Guzheng. The students and staff there also taught us how to make regular dumplings and that was also a real treat for all of us to learn how to do. The food they prepared for us was delicious as well.

Overall I really enjoyed myself when we visit the Tian Hua College. I feel that if this orientation and welcoming was done during our first week in Shanghai we would have more opportunities to hang out with the local college students. Overall I really enjoyed my trip to Tian Hua and I look forward to see the students who are coming to UOP this coming fall. Hopefully next year’s trip, if there is one, would be able to stay at Tian Hua College so they can get to know the local students better and also build and even stronger bond between Tian Hua College and UOP.

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For more information on the Summer Program in China (BUSI 193) visit: http://www.pacific.edu/Academics/Schools-and-Colleges/Eberhardt-School-of-Business/Academics/Undergraduate-Programs/Summer-Program-in-China.html