Living Up to the Standard: Natalie at Direct Supply

Living Up to the Standard: Internship Series

By Natalie Ciambrone, Direct Supply Intern


After spending over nine months in Bloomington, I was eager to start my internship and prove to myself that my decision to go back to get an MBA was the right one.

  

Last week marked the half-way point of my internship at Direct Supply. As I looked back over those six weeks, I was initially concerned about my decision to go back to school after I realized that some of the hard skills I had learned were not directly transferring to my summer project. But it was thanks to a comment from the Direct Supply CEO at the end of my mid-point presentation that I realized there was so much more I had learned in my first year than just those technical skills.

The CEO inadvertently helped me realize it was confidence, among other things, that I had gained from my time at Kelley. Through my experiences with the GLOBASE Guatemala consulting trip and through defending my positions in class during case discussions, I have become comfortable with navigating through the ambiguous, “gray areas” of business. This has come in handy since my strategy project requires me to help the company turn a gray topic into a profitable solution.

My internship stretches me beyond my comfort zone almost every day. Before Kelley I would have been unable to navigate the process and intimidated by the idea of having to figure it out. But even just after a year of being at Kelley, I feel prepared to embrace whatever new challenges are thrown my way. The experiences that helped develop this new found confidence is what makes my decision worth it.

Living Up to the Standard: Jyotishman at Microsoft

Living Up to the Standard: Internship Series
By Jyotishman Sharma, Microsoft Financial Intern

One thing I learned at Kelley is the importance of networking and being bold. 

It is was not a lesson that was easy to learn - it was definitely a growing process throughout my first year in the MBA program. I came to Kelley from a different country and a different culture, now knowing what networking really was or its importance. I felt uneasy at the start of my MBA as I was thrown in front of recruiters from some of the top companies in the world just weeks after arriving. 

However, the awesome second-year MBA students took the time to sit with me and help me refine my story and the graduate career coaches pushed me hard, telling me feedback that I needed to hear, never what I wanted to hear. 

Now I am working as a Finance Manager intern at Microsoft's Office Division in Seattle analyzing the cost structure of approximately $20 B of business and proposing strategies for consumer acquisitions.

I am putting all that I learned at Kelley in use; from hardcore finance skills to people skills. After a year of developing my leadership abilities, I do not get intimidated when the CFO stops by to see what I am working on. Everything I learned at Kelley is relevant in the ‘real-world’. From Professor Phil Powell's theory on the best incentives for a sales organization, to Professor Rockney Walter's marketing brilliance, I have seen the concepts in action in the short period of time I have been with Microsoft. Kelley has taught me actionable, tangible, relevant and high-impact skills in a very short period. If you remember nothing else, Kelley is courage.

Journey of a Leader: India

Meghan Curran in India.

It was a moment a year in the making. Second-year MBA, Meghan Curran, and the GLOBASE India team arrived in-country last March, ready to execute their project for CORD (Chinmaya Organization for Rural Development). Tasked with developing a career counseling program for area youths, the team felt the full weight of their project, knowing lives would be directly impacted. Met with cultural and social obstacles, the team made adjustments to their plans and delivered a sustainable program for CORD to execute going forward. 

Watch the team in action as they contribute to the growth of rural India, and the culmination of Meghan's leadership experience at Kelley. We're proud of her journey to leadership, and the leaders she's inspired to follow.

Watch the full "Journey of a Leader" series on YouTube.

Living Up to the Standard

Living Up to the Standard: Internship Series

It’s that time of year again when Kelley MBA students channel all that they have learned during their first year of business school into tackling their summer internships. Along with that comes the challenge of upholding the Kelley standard – a standard of excellence. 

Follow the stories of a variety of Kelley MBA students as they navigate their new work environments and learn what it takes to raise the level of respect for the Kelley name.