Katie Wilson
International Business student/intern
Studying international business internationally
When international business major Katie Wilson first heard about an available internship in Dublin, at a company called Cernam, which specializes in digital investigations, she was so concerned that she wasn’t the right choice for such a tech-oriented environment, she almost turned it down.
“I was worried that I wasn’t going to have the skills for the internship,” says the Champlain junior. “I was worried that it was too different a field, but now that I’ve been here working for a while, I’ve learned that the business skills you learn at Champlain will take you a lot further than you think and leave you more prepared to adapt your skills to a company’s needs than you think you could be.”
As an international business major, Katie needs to study abroad for one semester as well as complete a full internship by her senior year. “I figured I might as well do my internship over in Ireland while living on the Champlain Dublin campus so I could get actual international business experience,” she says.
Katie emphasizes that all of her classes at Champlain were important in preparing her to succeed in her internship abroad. “Every business class you take is very necessary and in your internship, you build on that knowledge,” says Katie. “I think junior year is the most important of all-we’re out of introductory classes, studying deeper issues in international relations. My international business classes taught me the terminology most frequently used in business situations, which helped to accelerate my understanding and execution of the many marketing tasks for Cernam,” she says. “Also, the standards my teachers held in regard to getting assignments in on time, and done well, helped increase the quality of work I am doing for Cernam. Champlain teaches you how to be professional.”
Observing international business up close has been an invaluable experience for Katie — one that she’ll never forget. “Just being a part of a little company that is growing right in front of me, and that I’m some small part of helping it grow is great,” says Katie. “It’s a good feeling to know that I was here to help get it off the ground.”
Student work created by Professional Writing student Ali Wisch