Internship in Chicago

This summer has flown by a lot faster than I wanted it too. As a lot of you know I am working in the north suburbs of Chicago at Takeda Pharmaceutical. I was very nervous at the beginning because I did not know what to expect the job to be like. I am a summer financial analyst and I have not worked with some of the software I needed to know for the job. The first two weeks was basically dedicated to me learning the systems. Once I learned the systems I was very comfortable with the work I was doing. Although I am working for a pharmaceutical company, I did not know a lot about the industry. I made friends with the pharmaceutical interns and they have taught me a lot about what goes on in the research and development side of the business. The best part of the internship is they treat us like royalty. First, they paid for us to live in our own apartment for the entire summer and gave us access to lifetime fitness, which has an outdoor water park. Then they sponsor a lot of fun activities during and after work, where we can network with other managers and interns. The best activity we have done is attending a White Sox game. Even though I am a diehard Cubs fan I was excited to go to this event because we had box seats. We got all the food and drinks (if you are 21) we could ever want. After the game me and some of the interns extended our stay down town and went to some of the area bars. I only have three weeks left at Takeda, which kind of makes me sad but I think I am ready to move back to Purdue to have a very good senior year!

--- Dan Mills

Happy Trails at Rockin' B Ranch

I am getting close to the end of my summer design internship at Rockin’ B Clothing. I have had a great time learning the ropes at the Rockin’ B Ranch in Lafayette. I get to work hand in hand with the talented owner and designer Jess, a Purdue alumnus.

Everyday has been a new experience filled with adventure and exciting projects. Some of the things I have been working on include cutting fabric, hand stitching, writing a news letter, making Excel documents, listing merchandise online, editing photos to making flats on Illustrator, and testing fabric.

My two major summer projects for Rockin’ B Clothing have been compiling a wholesale client list and designing a clutch. I researched and organized information from about 500 retailers which could be potential clients. Then I designed, patterned, and did preproduction of a clutch. The clutch project has been a success and the Ranch Hand Clutch is available for sale at rockinbclothing.com. It has been great to see people purchase one of my own designs!

Jess has taken me on outings outside of the Rockin’ B Ranch, too. I have gotten to experience meeting with a fabric representative, attending a trade show, vending at the Road Rocket’s Rumble car show, and exhibiting at a gallery walk. This is a picture of the Rockin’ B Clothing set up at the Road Rocket’s Rumble event where the Ranch Hand Clutch debuted.

























As we say here at Rockin’ B… Happy Trails!

--- Kelsey Leliaert

Studying Abroad

I just recently got back from studying abroad in China and it was AWESOME. Not only was it a great experience but I also received credits and it counted as a capstone course for my Entrepreneurship Certificate. The purpose of the trip was to visit companies and attend lectures in order to experience how the Chinese do business while also learning about the culture. We first went to Beijing for 8 days then flew to Hong Kong and stayed there for 7 days. In Beijing we stayed at Tsinghua University, which is a very prestigious university in China. During our stay in Beijing, we attended lectures from the university professors on Chinese culture, communicating and dealing with Chinese people, foreign policy, and even took a few lessons in speaking Chinese. Some of the companies we visited include Baker and Daniel Law Firm, Cummins, and the American Chamber of Commerce. The program also included tours of historical sites in Beijing such as the Summer Palace, Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, and the Great Wall. During our down time, we were able to do things such as play sports with the Chinese students, visit the Silk Market, and experience the amazing Chinese night life.

During our time in Hong Kong, we stayed at the YMCA Hotel, which is right in the middle of the city. We visited Dunwell Enviro- Tech, Invest Hong Kong, and the US Consulate General as well as attended a seminar on doing business in Hong Kong and China. All of the meetings that we attended while in Hong Kong were very interesting because Hong Kong is such a diverse city. We also got to take a tour, which included seeing the Victorian Peak, which over looks all of Hong Kong, Bird Street, and the beautiful Repulse Bay area. The program also allowed for us to take a dinner cruise around the Hong Kong harbor so that we could view the city lit up at night. During our free day, a bunch of us took a ferry to Macau for the day. Macau is a small country about 45 minutes away from Hong Kong that’s very similar to Las Vegas in the way that it is famous for its vast amount of casinos. That was a very fun day as well. After a week in Hong Kong, we packed up and flew 14 hours back to the United States.

All in all, studying abroad in China was one of the best decisions of my life. My time in China flew by, and I would go back again in a heartbeat. It’s an experience that I was able to take so much away from and that I will never forget. I would Highly recommend studying abroad anywhere before graduation, you will not regret it. Definitely the highlight of my summer!

--- Sam Shaner

And Purdue Goes On

It’s been around two months now that I have spent my summer here at Purdue and can say that summer is a great time to be a Purdue student. The campus is peaceful, the buses un-crowded, and the weather is a mildly warm and breezy. This is the best time to go make those weekend trips that I never have time for during the school year and save up the money that seems to disappear once classes start. My Assistive Technology Center job has been amazing, and I’m learning the in’s-and-out’s of things I would never know about Purdue. I’m getting to know students, staff, and prepare for my career by gaining experience and making important connections. PLUS I get paid. Who could ever want more?

In between my online class (Ethics… I’m starting to learn how to deal with all of the philosophy, which is tough) and my job, I’ve been able to hit the pool (a lot!), explore the outdoors around campus that I never knew existed (my mountain bike loves the trails in McCormick Woods) and have gone to the Taste of Chicago (AMAZING!) and an Indianapolis Indian’s baseball game! I feel so busy, and the days are flying by!

However, I can’t help but miss the hustle and bustle of classes, the train whistle blast of the Boilermaker Special, and the excitement of all there is to do when regular classes are in session. I cannot wait to rejoin my sorority sisters in our house together, see my friends from my Health and Kinesiology classes, and have back the culture on campus that really makes Purdue. I miss everyone and can’t wait for full-time Purdue life to kick back into gear!

--- Colleen Troke

Busy busy busy!!

And I thought finals week was hectic! My life is moving in so many positive directions right now, I almost don’t know how to handle things! I just finished my Sophomore year studying Hospitality & Tourism Management and am now working in Fort Wayne, IN. I hold two jobs right now.

One job is at Don Hall’s Guesthouse Hotel and Conference Center working as their summer intern. I love it so far! I recently grew an interest in event and event coordination so I am learning many things through this position! I have been getting a lot of banquet experience and I learn something new every day!

My second job is working at Courtney’s Bakery. Courtney specializes in wedding cakes, specialty cakes, and catering. I help her run the front of the bakery assisting customers. There has always been a small side of me that loves to be a part of cakes and baked goods. And I get to observe how small businesses are managed and operated.


I am currently studying to also get a Certificate of Entrepreneurship, so having this experience at Courtney’s is very beneficial. Some of the cakes I see walk out the door are just amazing! And who doesn’t get inspired by the cake shows on TV nowadays?!

On top of two jobs, this summer my little brother is graduating high school! We never thought the day would come! : ) And following in his wonderful sister’s footsteps, he will also be a Boilermaker this coming fall studying Electrical Engineering. His graduation party is this weekend so things are getting crazy.




AND on top of all of these events, my older sister (a Purdue Alumni of Krannert) is getting married in September to another Purdue Alumni! Her bridal shower is this weekend as well! Luckily, event planning is enjoyable for the Maid of Honor, so planning for this shower has been rather enjoyable. ; )

As I said before, things are BUSY! But I couldn’t be happier about the direction my life is moving. Purdue is giving me many things to be thankful for right now!

Boiler Up!

--- Megan Finger

Purdue Is A Great University!

This summer I've been working at Towne Air Freight, which is a Midwest-based truck and airplane freight company. My obvious purpose for getting this job was to save money for next semester. That brings me to a point as to why Purdue was such a good choice for me.

My parents left it to me to pay my way through school, so when I was deciding where to go cost was a priority. Being an in-state student first off made Purdue one of the most affordable, and then with the addition of multiple scholarships I did not need to take out very much at all in loans first semester and none at all second semester. The even better part about the cost is that the Purdue name on a diploma carries a lot of weight. It's like getting a new Audi at used Honda price.

onestly when it comes to the ratio of quality to price, Purdue is hands down the greatest university out there.

-- Andy Wiseman

Work Experience

This coming fall I will be a senior in Family and Consumer Sciences Education. As you may know, a lot of majors on campus either require or highly suggest that you complete an internship before you graduate. However, for Family and Consumer Sciences Education it’s a little different. Before you graduate you are required to complete 1,500 supervised work experience hours or 4,000 unsupervised work experience hours. I know in writing this may seem overwhelming, but in reality it’s not. If you had a job throughout high school and it relates to the major you can count those hours towards your unsupervised hours. Once you get accepted to Purdue, any work you complete that relates to Family and Consumer Sciences or lab that is required for the major counts as supervised hours.

This summer I am working on 300 more hours to complete my work experience requirement. I feel that this is a very good requirement for our major, because it pushes you to get a job that is already related to something you could be doing in the future. It’s a lot like an internship, but instead of having to complete it in a short period of time, you can take all 4 years to finish it. Completing my work experience has been very helpful to me because I have learned a lot about the content of my major without even opening a book. I was able to learn hands on, which will help me to teach my students in the future.

Talk to you again soon!

--- Bridget Gehlhausen