Name: Abigail Christel
Type of Project: Internship

For my step signature project I had an internship in Madrid, Spain with Rastreator.com, the leading insurance comparator in Spain. The unpaid internship lasted 8 weeks long where I worked in the Data and Innovation Department. I worked on app development and design because they were trying to increase the number of app active users.

I was transformed because I learned a lot about dealing with people. Between the language barrier with my coworkers and meeting 60 new OSU students on the trip I felt that I became an expert in understanding and talking to people. For example, I remembered what people loved to talk about or things that they were passionate about and would have conversations about it.

Also, I learned that I am more of a laid-back person than I thought I was. I knew going into the trip that the Spanish culture was more relaxed and not as deadline focused, but I didn’t realize how easy of I time I would have adjusting to the different culture. It was still a shock for my type A personality, but I was able to understand that I can turn it off in different scenarios.

I felt that weekend trips were one of the main contributors that dramatically increased my ability to deal with people. I went into the trip barely knowing two people, none of which I traveled with on the weekends. Meeting new people and spending extended periods of time with them (hostels, sight-seeing, eating), I learned a lot of about my strengths and weaknesses along with others. This was a pivotal point for me because I learned I had natural ability to deal with people and work out compromises.

My work situation also led to this transformation because I learned how to not freak out when none of my coworkers were doing productive work for extended periods of time. A lot of the time I would think how this would never be acceptable in the United States, but then I would have to understand that I am in a different culture and that they have different expectations and standards. For example, my boss would spend all this time thinking of what the company would do in five to fifteen years but would not focus on actionable steps that the company could take to reach those goals. I had to use my people skills to steer him to the conclusion that we should focus on the next five years versus what will happen in five years. This affected me because I learned how to talk to my superiors to convey a point but still allowing them to save face.

I also became more laid back during meals. The Spanish culture eats lunch around 2-3pm and dinner around 9-10pm which was so different from the United States. The service was also much slower and I had to learn to take my time and enjoy my company versus thinking about how much time we were spending there or getting impatient wondering where our food was. This affected me because I learned that you can get by not worrying about how much time you are spending because everything will work itself out.

I think one of my big takeaways is the relationships matter. Most of the time you need to put the relationship above your own needs because if you don’t, it will probably end up backfiring at you. This will be very important in all aspects of my life because I will put the needs of others above my own. I will try and make myself an enjoyable person to be around and someone who genuinely cares about people because I feel that is more important than what a resume or GPA conveys. I will use my people skills developed on this trip to try and be more understanding of people and their needs and issues.

Zachary Spangler

Internship

1. For my STEP Signature Project, I interned with Carbures Europe in Madrid, Spain through the Fisher Summer Global Internship Program. For my Corporate Finance and Investor Relations Summer Analyst role, I interacted with and learned from top corporate executives during my eight-weeks spent in Madrid.

2. The most daunting realization before I left for my summer in Madrid was the fact that I did not speak the native Spanish language. I was leaving my comfortable life here in the United States and choosing to spend my summer in a foreign country half-way across the world where I would have no understanding of my surroundings. Though frightening, I knew that by putting myself in this vulnerable environment, I would be able to experience significant growth as an adult as well as a young professional. While immersing myself in the Spanish culture, I began to understand the similarities and differences of humanity separated by a few thousand miles. Personally, I discovered a new-found sense of confidence, adventure, and independence in which will propel me towards success throughout my junior year at Ohio State.

3. The first series of events that changed my perception of living and working in an unfamiliar country were the relationships that formed amongst my coworkers. Fortunately, everyone in the corporate office had some level of English proficiency and were willing, sometimes eager, to converse with me in English. Each day during lunch, I would speak with some of my coworkers about the cultural differences between Spain and the United States, current events happening in Madrid, or casual banter about upcoming World Cup games. Being able to listen and learn from top executives at Carbures Europe on a daily basis truly gave me better insight into operating a large-scale international corporation.

The second key aspect that influenced my experience this summer was my willingness to put myself in vulnerable, unfamiliar situations. By saying “yes” to opportunities as they came truly played a role in allowing me to grow as an individual by continuously living in the moment full of new experiences. Having the opportunity to travel within Spain, and the entirety of Europe, truly gave me a new sense of independence. From seeking out new cultures and ideas to creating memories from each new destination, I rediscovered myself as a person and my desire for adventure.

Overall, being in a welcoming and interactive working environment with supportive and high-energy coworkers along with being exposed to the Spanish culture made for an exceptional summer internship through my STEP Signature Project. The ability to gain hands-on experience at the corporate level is highly valuable to growing my professional career. My STEP Signature Project has certainly set me on the right track to continue to progress academically and, ultimately, my future career.

4. My time in Spain certainly has sparked my interest in pursuing opportunities in the future to continue learning, immersing, and experiencing the world outside of the United States. The Fisher Summer Global Internship Program has showed me the practicality of traveling, living, and working internationally. One aspect of my professional goals is to broaden my awareness and acceptance to the endless cultures from all over the world to gain a greater international understanding of how humanity operates. Since returning back to Ohio, I have already started to daydream about my next adventures abroad.

Madison Noel

Summer Global Internship Program in Sydney, Australia

1. For my STEP Signature Project, I travelled to Sydney, Australia through Fisher’s Summer Global Internship Program for over 8 weeks. During my summer as a Food Safety marketing intern for 3M, I worked on various projects within the marketing support role. These projects included updating their customer database, SalesForce, with accurate, up-to-date contact information. In addition, I performed various market research of the Meat, Poultry, Dairy, Seafood, and Confectionary markets of Australia and New Zealand.
2. During my summer, I definitely noticed multiple changes within myself both personally and professionally. Through my time at 3M, I learned the importance of having systems and procedures in place to get tasks done. Since the company is so large (they employ over 90,000 people world-wide), it was essential that all of us knew our main objectives and who felt comfortable reporting to who with questions. 
   • As an employee of a large, global business I learned what it was like to work with individuals who came from backgrounds, countries, and cultures that were different than my own. An important goal of mine that I made for myself before leaving for the land down under was that I wanted to open up more to the people I met, and the various projects I was given along the way. Whether I initially liked the project or not, I was going to work on it the best I could and really try my hardest. By going into the internship with this mentality, I was able to succeed and my boss was easily able to see how passionate I was about the work I was doing. In addition, he also gave me more projects than he expected to since I was getting them done so quickly.
3. The closest relationship that I developed with a co-worker while working at 3M was with my boss, Hashitha. He came from a very different background than mine. He grew up in Sri Lanka, and had lived in Australia most of his life. He came from a family with lots of children, and he knew how to speak multiple languages. His life was clearly very different than mine. However, I think we were able to work so well together because we both accepted each other’s differences and took those as a way to learn more about one another. Instead of being rude, or getting frustrated when I couldn’t communicate with him as clearly as I wanted to, we were able to find a middle ground and actually accomplish way more than we thought.
   • Another important event that helped to change my view of the world and myself, was Sydney’s Vivid festival. While we were living in the city, they were having their annual two week long Vivid festival around the Sydney harbor. All of the OSU interns participated in the special event by watching the light shows, walking around the parks, and seeing shows throughout the city. This was beyond a neat experience for me, and really opened up myself to a city that was completely different than my own.
   • Lastly, our mentor throughout the summer, Kaitlin really helped to change my view of not only myself but the world. Kaitlin grew up outside of Louisville, Kentucky and knew she was passionate about traveling and wanted to see as much of the world as she could. She went on multiple study abroad programs in college, including the Semester at Sea program. After graduating from WKU, she got a position with a study abroad office and eventually changed roles, and began working for GAV (Global Academic Ventures… aka our internship placement company) in February. This was beyond inspiring to me, as I couldn’t believe her passion for other cultures and her bravery for leaving everything behind over 9,000 miles away. Every chance I had, I spoke to Kaitlin about all of the transitions she’s had to go through and what she thought about her whole experience. I definitely believe that Kaitlin helped to inspire my love for travel and seeing the world, and I love that I can reach out to her if I ever needed someone to talk to.
4. Since returning to the United States, my view of the world and specifically, business, has definitely changed. I already knew I had an interest in global business before embarking on this adventure, but since finishing my internship and returning home, I know it is the right place for me. I came to love going into work every day and meeting the most unique people imaginable. In addition, I had the special opportunity to learn all about the Aussie culture and embrace what makes it so special. Even though it took some time to adjust to the differences, it was well worth it and made my experience 10x better. Through traveling and interning in Sydney, I have developed a greater appreciation for the world around me in the United States. I’m so thankful for STEP for giving me this opportunity, and sparking an interest in international business and marketing that I don’t see going away anytime soon.

Natalie Nuckols

Summer Global Internship Program

1. For my STEP Signature Project, I participated in an 8-week internship in Sydney, Australia through the Fisher Office of Global Business. During this time, I was a Business Operations Intern for an Intellectual Property and Trademark law firm called Wrays. Along with working in another country, I had to opportunity to explore the major city and discover more about their culture.
2. I believe this project helped shape me into a better version of myself. I have always been reserved and only tended to stick with activities and people I know. I wasn’t one to often change up my routine or habits, rarely stepping outside of my comfort zone. However, when you travel to another country you have to be willing to open yourself up to new cultures, ideas, food, and people. During this trip, I learned to take risks, put myself out there and meet new people, try new food, and appreciate the difference among our cultures. It didn’t come easy and took a fair amount of consist pushing of my boundaries, but I am beyond thankful for it. Not only did I get to have the experience of a lifetime with new friends, but I also discovered a whole other side of myself that I didn’t know existed. I am coming back to the States and campus a more confident, carefree, and flexible person who now enjoys being outside of my comfort zone and embracing the new challenges I am faced with.

3. During this journey, I believe I grew more independent, easy-going, and open-minded. Living in another country for 2 months without your family or friends can be quite challenging, especially when your top strength is prudence. To start, I had to accept the fact that I was enduring this journey without my closest loved ones and would make new friends and memories along the way. The thought of leaving everyone beyond and going to a place that is quite literally halfway around the world with more limited means of communication was frightening but I tried to embrace it. When I first left for my pre-trip program to New Zealand, I traveled completely alone and had no means of communications while trying to navigate my flights, other transportation, and accommodations without any help. Upon arriving at my first accommodation stay, I was put in a situation that was new and made me slightly uneasy as I was staying in a bunk with three complete strangers from different countries and cultures. Although this was something that challenged me at first, I believe it was the first step in my transformation.

As other students started to arrive, I still felt alone although we all attend Ohio State. I had never really met and talked with any of these other students before and suddenly we were living and traveling together in another country and they were the only people that could even slightly make this place feel like home. All of the other students who had traveled to New Zealand on the pre-trip with me were very carefree, up for challenges and not afraid of conversation and all started forming relationships on their flights, but I, however, was shy and missed the opportunity to bond with them all during the journey over. I didn’t let this hold me back though and quickly started pushing myself to get to know them which soon lead to a feeling of a sense of comfort while with them.  I am very thankful I forced myself to take this step because I continued to challenge who I was while also building some of my greatest friendships.

I then used this new-found version of myself to further meet new people and make friends when we arrived in Australia while continuing to open up myself. I wasn’t staying in the same room as the students I had met in New Zealand and knew that building relationships with as many other students as possible was essential. Living with other students was very similar to being in a dorm except none of us had filled out a questionnaire about our habits beforehand. This only pushed me further into wanting to be the new person that faces challenges head-on and in turn, I became great friends with my roommates and all of the other students as well. Australia taught me that meeting new people is so much fun, discovering new places are exciting, and pushing yourself is the best way to grow which is why I am beyond thankful to experience this journey. I can’t wait to be back to campus and show all my current (and new) friends this new version of myself!

4. This transformation is important to every aspect of my life. Being someone who can now push me further outside of my boundaries will help me academically, professionally, and personally. In terms of academics and professional growth, this transformation will let me start to take more risks that allow me to learn, experience, and discover another skill, concept, or practice. Not only does this mean I get to expand my knowledge base, but I also get to further develop and transform myself. I am also now more willing to put myself out there and network with more recruiters and professionals compared to this time last year which can only help me in my future as I begin to start my professional career. As for how this transformation helps me personally, I am starting to put myself in situations that used to make me uneasy and uncomfortable and building relationships with more people. By doing so, I have learned to accept and deal with situations that I previously avoided or never even encountered. Not only have I noticed the transformation in myself continue to shape me, but my family and friends have too. It was after this program that I have realized what a significant impact this experience has had on my growth as a person and will continue to have for years to come. I am beyond thankful to have discovered a new side of myself that allows me to continue to grow each day.

Me at the Sydney Harbour Bridge

A group of the girls I became friends with taking the risk of skydiving!

Allison Spicer

Industrial and Systems Engineering Internship (West Ward/ Hikma Pharmaceuticals)

For my Second Year Transformational Experience I decided to pursue and internship opportunity at Hikma Pharmaceuticals (formerly West Ward Pharmaceuticals), a generic pharmaceutical manufacturer. For 11 weeks I worked full-time for Hikma’s Process Excellence Group, which specializes in operational excellence. This experience allowed me to better understand what a degree in Industrial and Systems Engineer entails and, with that, came many great experiences. There are about ten students chosen each year to intern with this company; the small group size has allowed me to develop new connections and work on/ lead numerous projects that will have a lasting impact on the company.

This project changed my professional mindset and allowed me to think outside of the box in terms of my career. As an Industrial Engineer, it is common to pursue a career in supply chain and manufacturing and, while I love my major, I am hesitant to pursue a career full of dirty manufacturing facilities, loud production floors, and minimal person-to-person contact. What this internship has taught me is that my degree gives me the potential to do just about anything ranging from operations to finance. It taught me that not every manufacturing facility is dark and dirty and helped solidify my desire to work in healthcare and surrounding fields.

My boss has been and continues to be a fantastic mentor and has allowed me to apply my knowledge in independent projects throughout the site. One of the first projects I was tasked with was overseeing the implementation of our new data collection software and technology on one of the solid product packaging lines. In order to do this I had to observe the new system run parallel to the old system, using the old system to verify that the new system was returning the proper numbers. From there I had to train the technicians on the line on how to use the software correctly, troubleshooting along the way. After successful implementation of the software I took my knowledge and applied it as a subject matter expert to develop the system’s user manual. In this manual I provided instructions on how to navigate each of the screens, indicate the start of packaging for a particular product order and each of the following stages until end of run, how to pull data, and so much more. While this manual took some time to develop, it will save the company about eight hours on each of the following software implementations which will result in a cost avoidance (Blue Dollar Savings) of about $1200 per future implementation. Another project that I was able to finish this summer was one with the focus of redesigning the visual management board in the ingredient dispensing area. This one was a bit more fun and allowed me to employ some more creativity but, it too, came with some challenges. Having never taken any courses on visual management and never having explored that area, I did not totally understand the way that they needed it to function. I was able to learn along the way but even that could not save me from designing and redesigning their board eight times before finalizing the design.

This internship gave me an amazing opportunity to apply existing knowledge and ended up being a strong opportunity for professional development. During this time I was able to go through the training to receive my White Belt in Lean Six Sigma, which will prove to be useful in the classroom and in the career field after graduation. I was also able to further my problem solving abilities and strengthen my data analysis skills. I will be returning to the classroom with a better understanding of the light at the end of the tunnel (i.e. graduation) and I could not be more excited to see what the future holds.

• Practice report out
• Tour production facility
• Present to the board of CIO our project

Allison Portnoy

Canadian Parliament Internship

1. As my Step Signature Project, I interned in the Canadian Parliament for 5 weeks. I had the opportunity to write speeches, write to constituents, coordinate events and meet very fascinating people. I had the great fortune of meeting the Speaker of the House of Commons, Speaker of the Senate, US Ambassador Kelly Knight, Prime Minister Trudeau, as well as many Foreign Service Officers, Members of Parliament and Ministers.

2. Interning on Parliament Hill brought about a lot of changes. For one, I had never lived on my own- especially outside of the United States. I originally found the task daunting but I really enjoyed living on my own, learning how to cook in a microwave, and walking to work instead of driving my car.

I also developed a greater appreciation for domestic politics. Studying international affairs, I never really cared much for domestic politics. I felt that it was inferior to what was going on abroad. This opinion drastically changed while answering letters to constituents. The letters that I received were just as important as the renegotiations of NAFTA. But more importantly, I realized that we shouldn’t let our political party affiliation define us. Being surrounded my politicians every day I began to realize that at the end of the day, we all go home to our families and friends.

3. Of the three changes that occurred during my internship, learning to live on my own was the least interesting. I learned how to cook for myself, live on a strict budget and make sure that I was doing what I could to stay safe. It felt great knowing that I could successfully be independent.

The experience of responding to constituent’s letters was very important to me because I understood how important it was to become politically active. Whenever a constituent would write a letter addressed to Member of Parliament Wayne Stetski, we would all take the time to listen to what they had to say. I read many diverse letters that challenged my thinking and opened me up to new ideas.

I had a lot of tremendous opportunities to meet Senators, Members of Parliament and other important political figures in Ottawa who challenged my political beliefs. More importantly, I realized that we are more than the party we align ourselves with. I had many casual conversations with Members of Parliament who were in very contrasting political parties, but we were able to have genuine conversations about our differences at a reception or even the elevator. We had the amazing privilege of being hosted at the home of the US Ambassador and even though I differ from her politically, she was incredibly hospitable and it is an event I will never forget. Ambassador Knight invited us to her home to meet other politicians and foreign service workers to help us network and show us what we could someday achieve.

4. Personally, I learned that I can thrive on my own and be very successful in politics. I realized the kind of politician I would like to one day become. I did not want to hind behind my party and close myself off to other opinions. I want to have genuine conversations with people about our differences and try to learn something new. I will always remember that our politics do not define us, and tremendous change can come about from working with people we may not agree with.

Here I am with Jagmeet Singh, Leader of the New Democratic Party.

Member of Parliament Wayne Stetski was my amazing mentor and boss for my 5 weeks on Parliament Hill.

I had the amazing opportunity to meet Prime Minister Justin Trudeau!

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• Practice presentation for report out
• Presenting to mentors and hiring managers before reporting out to CIO
• Attended a sharePoint deep dive work shop
• Bi-weekly meet up with ITLP leader to wrap up our internship
• Tour 3D printing shop and vibration testing chambers