We had the pleasure of catching up with Jacqueline Becerra, MBA Candidate, Class of 2014.

Where are you interning this summer?

NIKE, Inc. WHQ in Beaverton, OR.

What does a typical day there look like for you? What are your main responsibilities?

Almost every morning I walk down to this amazing local coffee shop in downtown Portland, then hop in my car for the short 15 minute drive to Nike, Inc. I spend a little bit of my morning checking emails, reading news on Nikeinc.com and organizing my calendar. I typically have 1-4 meetings a day. These could be intern specific meetings that involve keynote speakers and discussions about our intern cross-functional business project, or they could be informational meetings, planning meetings, project meetings, whole organization symposiums, etc.

I am working on various projects this summer in the Global Corporate Communications Department. My day is filled with creating deliverables for those projects, giving input on strategy, analyzing qualitative and quantitative data and researching. I create a lot of PowerPoints or “decks” as we call them. I do these for formal presentations, informal meetings or just as a way to organize thoughts. NIKE, Inc. is a very visual company and prefers to communicate in that fashion. Overall, I support various individuals in the communications departments on events and topics like corporate communications, sustainability and innovation, and product category functions.

You attended the National Society of Hispanic MBAs National Career Fair as one of our scholarship recipients this year. Tell me a little bit about that experience and how you think it impacted your internship search. Would you recommend this conference to incoming MBA students?

I would highly recommend this conference. I was pretty green when I went … I didn’t have my pitch down, was still unsure about the industry/field I wanted to pursue, and didn’t have a solid business acumen. I was only two months into my Chapman MBA, but I didn’t let that hold me back. I made sure I was dressed to impress, had a polished resume, and knew about the companies I would be speaking to.

My mentor from the Chapman Mentor Program helped me create a flyer for each company I was targeting. It was a simple 1-pager that had a snapshot of who I was and what I could offer that specific company. When I approached the booth with these flyers, the recruiters were blown away! They loved them, and I know that I made an impression. Now that I have my first year under my belt, a great summer internship, leadership experience and extracurriculars, I know I will get more interviews and have a clear focus on my end goal of getting full-time employment post MBA.

One thing I noticed was that the companies had more opportunities for full-time jobs compared to MBA internships. I think this conference would highly benefit second year MBAs when it comes to actual employment opportunities, but overall it’s a great experience for anyone.

What other resources or tactics did you utilize to prepare yourself for a summer internship search? What advice might you give to your classmates on where to start this process?

Getting involved on campus and getting to know the faculty, staff and my fellow classmates really made the difference for me. The [Professional Development Program] classes helped me think about the talent acquisition process in a more holistic way and prepared me in shaping my own ‘brand’ and how I was to be seen by future employers and recruiters.

The [Argyros Career Services] slogan, “Start Now,” is really the key to success. Chapman gives us all the resources and it’s up to us to take advantage of them as quickly as possible. I think the best place to start is to set up meetings with the faculty and [Student Services] staff to get the conversation started about your goals. They are great at helping you assess the skills you have and guiding you in the right direction per your needs.

Are there any Chapman programs or resources you would suggest incoming students get involved in or utilize?

Enter a business competition! I learned so much during my experience in the Henkel Competition. I learned how to be a more creative and innovative thinker, how to put together a business plan, how to make an awesome deck, prepare for a big presentation, give that presentation in front of seasoned professionals and so much more. These competitions are great for your resume and great talking points during interviews. I also recommend joining a club (Net Impact!) and/or getting involved in philanthropy. Not only does it feel great to give back, it makes you understand the importance of working for a company that does the same.

Want to share your Summer Success Story? Email Argyros Career Services at BusinessCareers@chapman.edu.