By Anthony Howard
Thirteen College of Business (COB) and College of Science, Engineering and Technology (CSET) students spent the summer interning at the corporate offices at Walmart and Sam’s Club in Bentonville, Arkansas. Some students were asked to join the company in more permanent positions.
According to Jennifer Steele, special projects coordinator for the COB, Jackson State had the largest representation of interns from an HBCU.
“We strive to give our students experiential learning. Having them participate in internships provides the experiential learning that could further enhance their interest in a career path,” said Fidelis Ikem, Ph.D., dean of the College of Business.
Senior accounting major Emily Britton interned at Walmart and credited her experience for bringing more clarity to her career goals. Britton said she contemplated pursuing a career in accounting or data analytics.
“I didn’t do accounting work at Walmart. My role was a merchandiser, so I did merchandise operations,” she explained.
A Jackson, Mississippi, native Britton spent most of her time doing data analytics in the impulse and replenishment department. In her role, she did online and delivery pickup projects and discovered ways to increase online sales for impulse-buy products.
Through this work, Britton said she developed a stronger passion for data analytics. Following her internship, she was invited to return as an employee or intern.
“I would definitely recommend Walmart to anybody. I felt more content choosing Walmart simply because the opportunities are endless,” she shared.
Business management major Adam Moncure completed a summer internship with Sam’s Club. This was the senior’s first time interning, and he expressed how he liked working with the different professionals in the corporate office.
“Something I really enjoyed was being able to work with people in every category of my team. We had merchants, financial planners, and site merchants,” he explained.
Moncure, a native of Clinton, Mississippi, said he was drawn to the merchandiser position because of its leadership role.
“People have to go through you to try and get things done, and you have the last say for certain material or viability for the company,” he explained.
Moncure was offered an entry-level corporate position in the Sam’s Club rotational program by the company’s CEO and President, Kathryn McLay.
Moncure praised JSU’s COB for helping him develop the skills to be successful in his internship and the workforce.
“Jackson State has really prepared me. I think we had the most students down there from an HBCU, and we were really able to excel among our peers and colleagues from different HBCUs,” Moncure expressed. “We left an impact, and I think we all give thanks to the College of Business.”
