Following the advice of Joe Jenkins, a career advisor in the Girard School of Business, Kayleen applied to 50+ summer internships over the course of her college career. From those applications, she was able to pursue two paid internships. The first at Cosi as a marketing and special projects intern, and the other as a digitization of service intern at Fidelity Investments.
In addition to these internships, Kayleen had the unique opportunity to pursue a six-month user research co-op at Bose Corporation during the spring of her senior year. This opportunity arose from her attendance at the Professional Development Retreat, where she connected with alumnus Jim Scammon ’83, CFO of Bose Corporation. The co-op eventually led to her current position with Bose as a concept analyst. In this role, Kayleen works with the personalized customer experience division, which focuses on customer-centric innovation through continuous ideation and rapid iteration.
How did your experience at Merrimack help you as a professional?
Many of my academic courses were centered around group collaboration and real-world scenarios which challenged my classmates and I to think strategically. For example, in my marketing research class, we worked with small businesses in the North Andover area to identify their business needs. We conducted surveys and focus groups to form a market research report that provided solutions to their various problems.
In addition, becoming an Office Assistant at the Girard School of Business Advising Center helped me develop a strong relationship with the two Business Academic Advisors, Kim Valente and Valerie Brown. From revising my resume to writing my study abroad recommendation letter, these two advisors helped shape me into the professional I am today.
What is the best advice you could give current Merrimack students?
Use your time wisely — take advantage of all the career development opportunities on campus such as the networking receptions, the bi-annual Professional Development Retreat, and the seasonal career fairs.
Off campus, use your summers to gain real world experience. If you don’t have a summer internship, find a job that pertains to the key functions of your major. For example, if you’re a Finance major, pursue summer jobs that handle transactions such as a bank teller or cashier. In my experience, a strong GPA is important but having a relevant work background is what separates you from the competition.
What is your favorite Merrimack memory?
One of my favorite Merrimack memories was getting the chance to study international business abroad in Florence, Italy — truly a trip of a lifetime!
