The August Co-op Student of the Month winner is Samantha Michyeta, an NIU Textiles, Apparel and Merchandising major who held an executive summer internship with Target, Broadview, Illinois. Michyeta discovered that Target's executive interns learn every aspect of merchandising from the differences of merchandising “hardlines” versus “softlines” to the cycle the store moves through “dayside” and overnight. She was able to apply her knowledge of apparel, trends, merchandising and leadership that she learned in the classroom to the real world of her internship. However, her daily work experience also taught her more than she could learn in the classroom. She states, “I learned how a team works together to finish objectives that may seem impossible. I learned how the entire process works and had the opportunity to work each part of that cycle. I was able to check out products, pull products from the back for the floor, push products out to the floor and experience the entire replenishing process first hand…Once I learned all the steps and main focuses of Target, I gained the confidence necessary to become a leader.”
Besides finding success on the job, Michyeta now has a concrete idea of what she wants in her future. In her words, “I feel that my experience at Target went beyond becoming a leader and learning new information…I have gained the confidence in order to meet my goals for the future. I learned that I love working with the type of team that Target staffs. After interviewing and showing my interest in the company, I was extended an offer (full-time). Since I had such a wonderful experience, I decided to accept the position. I made this decision based on several factors. I realized I was happy after work everyday. The atmosphere of Target made it easy to stay positive and the motivation I could share with Team Members was amazing. This is definitely somewhere I want to work when I graduate.”
Michyeta encourages other students to seek out career-related work experiences before graduation. She feels internships help students decide whether they really want to work in their major field when it is not too late to change majors. She states in this regard, “Though it may be discouraging because of the years of classes you put towards that field, you do have the chance to realize that there are still more options open to you.” Another reason she recommends career-related work experience is to allow students to gain experience working with professionals in their field. She states, “This will teach you how others work professionally and perhaps give you an idea of how you want to present your own professional image. You may like the way one supervisor handles a situation more than another. When you come across a similar situation, you can remember what you thought was more professional.” Her final recommendation is that internships give students opportunity. In her case, she ended up with a job offer. However, even if a job is not offered, students will have a network of people that can be used as references in the future.
Scott Taubenheim, Target Store Team Leader, praises her internship with his store, “Sam came into the internship with a great deal of enthusiasm and with a quest for knowledge that was a boost to the entire executive team…The biggest impact that Samantha had on our store as a whole is her ability to brighten each and every day with her energy and her positive attitude. I was very impressed with the amount of time and effort that she put into her internship wrap-up book and the final result was impressive to say the least. I have hosted interns for over eight years and have not seen a more impressive internship project to be turned into a university…My company has demonstrated our commitment to Samantha by making her an offer to be an executive team leader for Target Stores when she graduates. I look forward to working with her in the future on her development as an executive.”
Julie Hillery, Associate Professor in NIU's School of Family, Consumer, and Nutrition Sciences, comments on Michyeta's academic work, “Samantha has completed three of my classes and is currently enrolled in my Fashion Merchandising class. She has received A's in all of my courses and is consistently one of my top students…Perhaps one of the most impressive qualities about Samantha is that she is so well-rounded. In addition to being an excellent student in the classroom, she is also an excellent leader and role model for others. She is currently the secretary for Kappa Omicron Nu Honor Society, and the membership chairperson for Mortar Board…Additionally, in spring 2003, Samantha was selected by the Textiles, Apparel and Merchandising faculty to receive the Smiling Face Award. This award is given annually to a Textiles, Apparel and Merchandising student for recognition of a positive attitude and congeniality toward faculty and fellow students…She truly is representative of the type of well-rounded student who is a credit to our university, and who will be an asset to her chosen profession.”
June winner, Martin Frank, spent the last seven months working as a Student Intern Compliance Examiner with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) in Downers Grove, Illinois. Before that, he had an internship as a financial associate with A.G. Edwards and Sons in Naperville, Illinois. While at FDIC, Frank was exposed to commercial, consumer and home mortgage lending while directly contributing to the examinations of more than twenty banks in the Chicago area. At the FDIC, Frank not only worked the usual areas of responsibility for an intern, through his own initiative he was soon contributing at the level of an assistant examiner. He also assisted his field supervisor with regional and national projects for which she was a taskforce member. He also was instrumental in developing a feedback survey and training manual. Of these skills, Frank comments, “I performed a wide range of duties while at the FDIC, including fair lending, Home Mortgage Disclosure Act, data integrity reviews, and Community Reinvestment Act evaluations. Not only do I now have a significantly enlarged knowledge base relating to lending legislation, but I have become proficient at certain exam functions, contributing notably to the efficiency of many of the Chicago territory's compliance examinations in the first three quarters of 2004.”
Besides receiving on the job work experience in his major, Frank learned skills that go beyond the scope of his academic training. In this regard he comments, “There are, of course, many things I learned and gained from this internship that have more than just academic benefit. My position at the FDIC required the ability to prioritize, multitask and be relied upon to perform certain examination functions within sometimes unforgiving deadlines. Not only was I given an in-depth look at the duties of an FCID compliance examiner, but I was obligated to understand and promote a workplace etiquette and corporate culture to which I had not been previously exposed.”
Another result of Frank's internship with the FDIC was a clearer understanding of what directions he might take after graduation. On one hand, he would like to remain with the organization. He states in this regard, “If my experience there continues to be as enjoyable and beneficial as it has been, I will certainly be pursuing a career as an examiner for the FDIC. The opportunity for advancement within the corporation is terrific, and the benefits are generous.” On the other hand, his internship experience as an examiner has prepared him for other careers in finance. He comments, “…If I were to go elsewhere and pursue a career path in the private sector, my compliance knowledge base, though limited, and my exposure to the professional environments both at FDIC and several banks in the Chicago area will give me a significant edge in a position as a lender or compliance officer at a bank.”
Frank is quick to recommend career-related work experience to his fellow students by stating, “My internship has been the best opportunity I could possibly have been given at this point in my academic career, and I absolutely would recommend to any college student that he/she pursue career-related work experience before graduation.” He also credits the NIU Internship Program with the following comments, “The NIU Cooperative Education/Internship office was the enabling force behind my success at this internship, from the Internship Fair, to guidance and educational arrangements. Thank you for your time and efforts to help me get to where I am today.”
Christina Quinlan , Field Supervisor, Division of Supervision and Consumer Protection at the FDIC praises Frank's work with her office by stating, “Martin Frank's contributions to my field office during his cooperative experience are commendable. My staff and I have continued to be impressed with the quality of Martin's work and the manner in which he represented your institution…Martin frequently exceeded my expectations for his assignments…During certain examinations, we would not have completed the examination within the deadlines had Martin not taken on responsibilities beyond the scope of his assignment…Martin's work products displayed strong analytical skills. He was able to quickly learn the technical aspect of FDIC's rules and regulations and effectively examine an insitution for compliance…Martin demonstrated an impressive work ethic. He has set high expectations for himself. His performance demonstrates that he is capable of meeting whatever expectations his future employers' establish. Martin will be an asset to whatever corporation he aligns with in the future…I look forward to his return to my staff during winter break and in the summer of 2005.”
Carl Campbell , Associate Professor and Assistant Chair of the NIU Department of Economics comments on Frank's academic work by stating, “While he received an A in my class, grades and grade-pont-average certainly did not seem to be his only motivation. Martin has an admirable work ethic and a desire for knowledge, learning, and self-improvement. He made sure to not only take thorough notes during lecture, but to understand conceptually the principles and implementation of the topics covered in my class. It is in this way, and for this reason that Martin is an above-and-beyond achiever who will surely be successful in any endeavor he undertakes, in his career and in his personal life…I am confident that Martin will be an effective and creative contributor in his career and to society.”
February 2004 Co-op Student of the Month winner, Jessica Mendlik, worked during the spring 2004 semester at Big Shoulders Digital Video, Chicago, Illinois, as a grip/floor manager/production assistant. Previous to this internship, she had classroom knowledge of the equipment and industry professionals of the media profession, but she learned the actual mechanics of the media communication profession “on the job.” On her internship she assisted with on-location video productions and learned how to set up the equipment for the shoot; assisted in on-line editing sessions using the Avid editing system; learned how to make window dubs, log camera footage, as well as a myriad of other technical skills such as mic placement, noise cancellation and “boom” technique. Although a daunting number of skills to master, she was a quick study. As she described it, “I am very excited to say that I have especially improved my floor managing technique and have been praised by my supervisor for my ‘phenomenal' skills as a floor manager.”
Mendlik also learned the sheer amount of physical labor required of crewmembers when loading and unloading equipment. She comments, “I have been told by a producer fried of mine that [the crew] is a man's world. Usually the only time you see a woman in this business is when she is in a position to tell [the crew] what to do! …My intention is to become someone so inspiring and in-tune with the techniques of directing that I am trusted as the director of a film…This is a business that is primarily based on seniority through experience, and this internship is the first stepping-stone of many in my process of earning that seniority…”
Mendlik recommends career-related work experiences to other students as they progress through college, “because it helps one to decide whether or not this is the profession they want to spend the rest of their life in. Career-related work experiences are also a good idea because future employers will look at them favorably.”
Brad Fox, Vice President of Operations and Sales at Big Shoulders Digital Video Productions, praises Mendlik's work, “Jessica works on a variety of assignments and performs them professionally; she is trusted with valuable equipment and supplies and often works unsupervised without incident.” Fox appreciates her desire to learn by commenting, “Jessica has been found to always be interested in learning whatever we were working on. Jessica has even approached her supervisors with interest in learning and was always performing what was asked of her…Jessica is a joy to have as a student intern, everyone in the company likes her and many of them request her for their assignments. Jessica is sharp, interested in learning and focused on doing the best job of whatever is asked of her.”
Alex Wiertelak and Allen May, Northern Television Center News Director and Director and General Manager of Broadcast News respectively, both comment favorably on Mendlik's performance in the classroom. Alex Wiertelak had the opportunity to evaluate Mendlik while she was a student in his Directing and Producing for Television News class (JOUR 485) at NIU. He comments, “Jessica's leadership skills are by far her strongest attribute. She by nature works well with others, a real collaborator in any situation. I have seen her take time to help other students in using equipment and also solve conflicts in the group. She takes command without being bossy or overbearing, constantly earning the respect of her peers. Her communication skills are some of the strongest I've see in a college student over the last ten years.”
Allen May observed Mendlik's work in the classroom during a TV News Producing and Directing course he teaches at NIU. As May describes, “She is currently enrolled in a course that requires her to take direction of and responsibility for the technical production of full-length ‘live' TV newscasts that are broadcast nightly to the entire DeKalb community cable TV viewing audience. As an instructor, I consider the demands on her to meet deadlines, to lead other students on her production team, and to work rapidly and accurately in a pressure environment to be aggressive. The course is not for casual students. Jessica has demonstrated a clear understanding of and adherence to the program's exacting standards…Jessica is quick to respond to direction, and she is committed to directing a production that must consistently meet high standards to be adequate for broadcast.”
The October Co-op Student of the Month winner is Matt Del Monaco, an NIU mechanical engineering major who held an Student Trainee - Non Tech internship with Caterpillar, Aurora, Illinois. He began learning what and how Caterpillar processes work activities, which included accessing Caterpillar systems, preparing technical drawing packages, and coordinating their completion with outside contractors. He was assigned to an engineering "buddy" to help answer questions and point him in the right direction. As Del Monaco states, "Working for a respectable company through an internship or co-op provides many opportunities that otherwise would not be obtainable through classroom experience. I would highly recommend this program to anyone in the engineering field for the simple reason that no text book can give you real-life exposure like this one can. Having all the resources and tools necessary to acquire hands-on knowledge about what it takes to become an engineer in the real world was a huge benefit for me."
Del Monaco also enjoyed working with the engineers at Caterpillar. He explains, "I was able to work in an atmosphere where it was not only acceptable, but actually encouraged, to ask questions of any of the engineers at any time...Not only were the engineers able to guide me through the process of completing my assignments, but they were also very patient and helpful."
Del Monaco also credits the NIU Cooperative Education/Internship Program with assisting him in finding an internship in his major. He states, “Thanks to the NIU Co-op office, I was able to participate in a variety of projects that varied in difficulty, but all related back to my knowledge about engineering. My co-op coordinator, Angela Cline, was able to assist me with the finer details of making this dream job come true. She helped me by perfecting my resume, offering interview advice, and taking me step-by-step through the application process…Without the work done by the co-op office to bring Caterpillar to NIU, I never would have had a chance to be a part of this amazing opportunity.”
Phillip Alexander, Engineering Manager of the Forest Products division at Caterpillar, describes the scope of Del Monaco's internship, “Matt's first assignment was to learn and understand what and how we process work activities at Caterpillar. Matt had to learn how to access Caterpillar systems, he had to prepare technical drawing packages and coordinate their completion with outside detailing contractors, he had to learn Pro-E, and he had to interact with many different engineers to get all the information he needed to complete his assignments.” Alexander goes on to describe Del Monaco's performance on the job, “Matt did an excellent job in both learning procedures and practices and physically completing his assigned work. Matt exceeded my expectations in the timing I thought it would take for him to become productive…I was impressed with his transfer of information on the progress and what was left to do on his projects. They have since been completed and his transfer of information made this a smooth process.” Finally, Alexander comments on Del Monaco's abilities as a budding engineer saying, “Matt has the interactive skills and learning capacity to be an excellent engineer…I would recommend him as a positive addition to any of the groups here at Caterpillar.”
Elizabeth Miller, Associate Professor in the NIU School of Family, Consumer, and Nutrition Sciences, comments on some of Del Monaco's academic accomplishments stating, “As his professor in FCNS 280, Human Development, Family, and Society this past spring, I had the opportunity to observe Matt's work, his writing assignments, group work, and test evaluations…His test scores were excellent, but what also distinguished him was his very detailed and thoughtful written work. In this class student as asked to review each state of their life and apply theory and research to their own lives and to their family's life. While some student do the minimum to ‘get by,' Matt did beyond what was expected and not only engaged the material but thoroughly applied it at a conceptual level…I have taught many engineering and business majors in my 20 years of teaching. I can say that it is rare to find a student like Matt who is willing to think outside the box. From my conversations with leaders in business, it is this very skill that businesses are looking for—someone who can think theoretically, who can be flexible, who know their field well, but can work well with others, and understand more than one way to look at issues. I believe that he is a credit to NIU and would do well in any company that he works in.”