It's Not Just an MBA — It's an Experience
Greetings from Oregon! After a busy first year in the W. P. Carey Full-time MBA program, it’s exciting to finally be settling into my summer internship at Nike. I’m one of the lucky ones who had some time off between the end of school on May 1st and the beginning of my internship. After taking our last final, Justin Kimball, Bryan Clary, and I packed our bags and headed to Europe for a two-week international elective course. Of course we couldn’t just go to Europe to study, so we left a few days early to check out the Swiss Alps. With only two days to explore we immediately jumped a train (actually three trains, a bus, and tram) from Zurich to Gimmelwald.
After a couple days in Switzerland I traveled to Vallendar, Germany to begin the off-campus program. I spent the next two weeks taking a diverse mix of classes at WHU, focused on doing business in the European Union. To supplement classes we also visited local companies, the European Central Bank, where the Occupy movement had established a camp in protest of the EU’s austerity measures in Greece and other fledgling countries, and the German stock exchange. These two weeks were a truly eye-opening experience because the WHU professors and the professionals we visited with shed a whole new light on the current economic situation of the EU and how it affects them.
Anyone can visit Germany but because of the W. P. Carey School’s relationship with WHU I was able to really educate myself on the inner-workings of the EU through meetings with ECB officials and executives at the businesses that are helping write Europe’s history. This unique experience has deepened my interest in — and understanding of — the situation in Europe and I am now constantly checking the news to see what is happening.
Like all good things, this trip had to come to an end, so after 14 days I boarded an overnight train to Prague to meet up with Justin and Bryan for one last night together in Europe before catching a flight back to The Valley of The Sun. After a whirlwind of unpacking and repacking I loaded up the car and drove the 19 hours to Portland. On June 5th my internship started with an all-day orientation at Nike World Headquarters in Beaverton.
In true Nike fashion, orientation began with a rousing speech from CEO Mark Parker, and was packed with fun events and videos designed to get our blood pumping. The next day I met my team and began my duties within the Global Procurement department. I have only been working for two weeks so I don’t have a lot of insight yet but the group is responsible for the strategic sourcing and procurement of all spend that does not end up directly into products. This is called Indirect Spend, and includes things like new retail spaces, I.T. services or temporary workforce.
So, two weeks down, 10 more to go and I’m really excited to put the skills and knowledge I’ve gained through the first year of my MBA experience to work and keep you updated on my progress!
After a couple days in Switzerland I traveled to Vallendar, Germany to begin the off-campus program. I spent the next two weeks taking a diverse mix of classes at WHU, focused on doing business in the European Union. To supplement classes we also visited local companies, the European Central Bank, where the Occupy movement had established a camp in protest of the EU’s austerity measures in Greece and other fledgling countries, and the German stock exchange. These two weeks were a truly eye-opening experience because the WHU professors and the professionals we visited with shed a whole new light on the current economic situation of the EU and how it affects them.
Anyone can visit Germany but because of the W. P. Carey School’s relationship with WHU I was able to really educate myself on the inner-workings of the EU through meetings with ECB officials and executives at the businesses that are helping write Europe’s history. This unique experience has deepened my interest in — and understanding of — the situation in Europe and I am now constantly checking the news to see what is happening.
Like all good things, this trip had to come to an end, so after 14 days I boarded an overnight train to Prague to meet up with Justin and Bryan for one last night together in Europe before catching a flight back to The Valley of The Sun. After a whirlwind of unpacking and repacking I loaded up the car and drove the 19 hours to Portland. On June 5th my internship started with an all-day orientation at Nike World Headquarters in Beaverton.
In true Nike fashion, orientation began with a rousing speech from CEO Mark Parker, and was packed with fun events and videos designed to get our blood pumping. The next day I met my team and began my duties within the Global Procurement department. I have only been working for two weeks so I don’t have a lot of insight yet but the group is responsible for the strategic sourcing and procurement of all spend that does not end up directly into products. This is called Indirect Spend, and includes things like new retail spaces, I.T. services or temporary workforce.
So, two weeks down, 10 more to go and I’m really excited to put the skills and knowledge I’ve gained through the first year of my MBA experience to work and keep you updated on my progress!
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