Booth Summer Stories

Hello, and welcome back!

I hope you’ve been having a terrific summer, hanging in there with the heat, and even taking in a good old BBQ or two. In today’s post, I am going to check in with some of my fellow Booth Class of 2012 classmates to see how their summers have been going. This summer, Booth students are in dozens of cities all over the US and world, pursuing internships that are a stepping stone to their exciting future career. Today I check in with a Management Consultant at McKinsey in Houston, a Brand Manager working on the Old Spice brand in Cincinnati, and an Operations Strategist at Apple in San Francisco. Read on for more!

Cosme Salazar:

What are you doing this summer?
I am a Summer Associate with McKinsey and Company in their Houston office. During the summer I am working on an organizational strategy study for one of the largest companies in the world.

What have been your Top 2 best experiences of your summer job?
Two experiences from the summer really stand out. First I have been very happy with the professional development and support that I have received from my internship. I have multiple people at the firm (up to the partner level) that are frequently checking in to see how my experience has been and offer advice on what I can do to grow professionally and reach my long term goals.
My other favorite experience has been all the fun summer events that I have been able to attend. My wife and I attended an amazing Summer Conference that McKinsey hosted for all their summer interns in Dana Point, California. I got to meet company leadership and other consultants from all over and get a better perspective of the many opportunities available with the firm. I have also attended Astros games, the theater, and I met many future Booth students at an admissions event I hosted in Houston.

What will you take away from your summer?
This summer I have learned how to create a concise and cohesive story to deliver a compelling message. Before this summer I knew consultants were pros at producing PowerPoint slides by the hundreds, but now I really appreciate the problem solving and the thought process that goes into crafting a meaningful message rather than a deck of slides.

What are you doing before starting back up at school?
I won’t have a lot of free time after my internship ends because I will be a LEAD Facilitator for the first year students. We have to put the finishing touches on some things we have planned to kick off a great start for the class of 2013.

What are you looking forward to about returning to Booth in September?
I really look forward to enjoying Chicago this fall. I live in Hyde Park, and when it’s warm I love to walk around the community with the parks and fun restaurants. I’m also really excited to hear about the great internships that my classmates enjoyed this last summer.

Ryan Bennett:

What are you doing this summer?
I am the Marketing intern on Old Spice at Procter & Gamble. My biggest projects include: 1) developing a global e-commerce strategy to stay ahead of the consumer as she transitions from shopping in brick & mortar stores to buying all her groceries online, and 2) creating a long-term growth plan for the “black sheep” part of our portfolio that has been growing gangbusters recently almost by accident.

What have been your Top 2 best experiences of your summer job?
I will forever remember being in the thick of the Fabio versus Old Spice Guy YouTube duel. The campaign quickly became a cultural phenomenon and it was incredibly exciting to sit in the center of it. Second, I’ve enjoyed engaging with P&G’s leaders to hear their collective vision for how the company is evolving. I’ve had astonishing access to management all summer, including dinner at the CEO’s house, a happy hour with the head of North America, a fireside chat with the CMO, and a one-on-one lunch with a Group President.

What will you take away from your summer?
As corny as it sounds, I’ll leave Cincinnati having made a ton of new friends. The 52 Marketing interns formed a close-knit community that will yield strong lifelong relationships. From a career-building perspective, I appreciate the experience of managing very large cross-functional teams, a skill that I never had the opportunity to develop during my time working on Wall Street prior to business school.

What are you doing before starting back up at school?
My fiancée and I are going on a road trip through the Midwest as we drive back to my home in Virginia. We’re excited to check out those random culinary hotspots profiled on “Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives” along the way!

What are you looking forward to about returning to Booth in September?
I cannot wait to swap internship war stories with my classmates. It will be fun to compare my time at P&G versus what other Marketers experienced. I’m probably even more excited to hear from friends who spent their summers in emerging markets or pursuing entrepreneurial ventures.

Donna Wu:

What are you doing this summer?
I'm working as an MBA intern in Operations at Apple. That's all I'm allowed to say ;-)

What have been your "Top 2" best experiences of your summer job?
Attending a series of Executive Speaker speeches given by the Apple Executive Team and seeing Steve Jobs (on more than one occasion) getting lunch at Cafe Macs.

What will you take away from your summer?
People at Apple are some of the smartest and brightest individuals I have ever met. Their passion for the company and products is unbelievable. I know this is going to sound cliche but being surrounded by culture of excellence pushes me to be the best I can.

What are you looking forward to about returning to Booth in September?
Seeing all my Boothie friends again! This summer has been like an eternity, and I can't believe how much I miss them. It's amazing the kind of relationships you build at Booth - ones that last a lifetime :-)