Michele Derr ’09
Urbana, Ohio
“College is when you learn what you want to do, and it’s about preparing you for life in general,” she said. “Business has prepared me for the working world. … When I was doing my internship, I felt comfortable. I was able to pick up on things quickly, and college has helped prepare me for that.”
   
Click here to read more about Michele.

Evan Miller ’08
Arlington, Ohio
Three internships, a variety of extracurricular activities and a competitive drive make for an excellent résumé and a well-rounded college graduate.  Throughout his UF career, Evan Miller was active in Marketing Club and Hospitality Management Club, and served as a peer mentor for First-Year Experience classes and a registration and orientation leader.

Click here to read more about Evan.

Beth Gahler ’05
"Fall semester of my senior year I was hired on as a brand marketing intern for Marathon Ashland Petroleum. My internship with Marathon was extremely fast-paced and intense, with a large learning curve. The company relies directly on their interns for an entire segment of their marketing. Each day I was responsible for contacting individual station owners and informing them of the new marketing programs that they could take advantage of through Marathon. These programs are crucial to the success of each station and the owners need to understand their options in order to maximize profits. I traveled throughout Ohio and met with station owners to promote and contract these programs.

The internship not only allowed me to individually go on sales calls, but also to sit down and discuss financial issues with an actual business owner. My presentation skills had to be polished, and I needed to be prepared for any kind of question and who to direct these questions to if I could not assist them. Throughout my internship I experienced how a large corporation operates; each division of the company is essential for success and each person is vital in playing a role toward that success.

The title ‘intern’ at Marathon made no difference, I was treated as a team member and a full-time employee in which I had a large amount of responsibility; the job I did reflected on my supervisors and my district. My supervisors were very ‘hands off’ and trusted me to handle their stations and promote these Marathon programs. This internship allowed me to really get a taste of the atmosphere of a large corporation and what a marketing position might entail."