Students at the Debbie and Jerry Ivy College of Business learn the value and importance early in their college career of having an internship before graduation.
This summer, Ivy students have been a part of a wide range of internships that add real-world experience to their resumes. Meet Ashley Jensen, who shared why her summer internship added value to her college education.
Jensen, a senior and concurrent graduate student from Peoria, Illinois, is working toward a bachelor’s degree in marketing and a master’s degree in graphic design. She chose these majors because it was the perfect combination of her analytical and creative skills. Jensen is spending her summer as an orthopedic instruments marketing communications intern for Stryker in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Jensen’s intern responsibilities include social media content creation following best practices, tracking return on investment from digital marketing leads, collateral designs for the sales force, and redesigning customer visit presentations.
While Jensen was looking through a job board for a marketing position in the healthcare field, she came across the position with Stryker and applied. Jensen credits Ivy and all the services they provide in preparing her for the internship. Specifically, Associate Teaching Professor Susan Fleming’s MKT 4950, Live Cases in Marketing class, which gives students the chance to work with real companies to solve current marketing problems, building skills in critical thinking, data analysis, client communication, teamwork, and professional presentations. The class helped prepare Jensen for the presentations she’s giving in her internship. Business Career Coordinator Jessica Martin helped improve her resume and prepared her for interviews, which helped Jensen stand out. Most importantly, Jensen’s internship with the Ivy marketing and communications team has given her the professional skills and experience that prepared her for her summer position at Stryker.
“Try every avenue to get internships. The random job boards may seem pointless, but they worked out for me and might for you. I would 100 percent recommend having an internship prior to graduating, because it is an opportunity for you to try so many different things to determine what direction you want to take your career.”
— Ashley Jensen
Jensen’s favorite part of her internship with Stryker is on Fridays. One of the marketing directors from their area invites everyone who comes into the office to the Starbucks downstairs and buys coffee for everyone. They all sit and chat for a while, which leads to building strong relationships. With the office being mostly empty on Fridays, it gives Jensen a reason to look forward to going into the office.
To connect with Ashley Jensen or follow her collegiate and professional career, visit her LinkedIn profile.
