Lily Hesen, from left, Kelsie Madison and Tyler Thomas, all Marketing students at SAU’s Rankin College of Business, said their classroom experiences prepared them to succeed in their various internship experiences over the past summer.
Three Marketing students in the Rankin College of Business at Southern Arkansas University recently completed internships this past summer. Those students are Lily Hesen, Kelsie Madison, and Tyler Thomas.
Lily Hesen, of Benton, worked with Outlets of Little Rock, an outlet mall. Hesen was given a variety of tasks to work on. Her internship required her to set up displays, take photos, write captions, and research different products.
Hesen, who plans to graduate in May of 2019, said her classes at SAU helped prepare her for the internship.
“My marketing classes really helped me, and the Business Communication class with Dr. (Gerald) Plumlee also helped a lot. And I’ve been able to apply what I’ve learned from the internship in the classroom.”
Hesen recommends business students take part in an internship if they can.
“My internship was really beneficial. If you can get an internship in the area of what you want to do, I think it can be a great experience.”
Hesen is the daughter of Matt Cruz of Benton.
Kelsi Madison, of El Dorado, also plans to graduate in May with a degree in Marketing. She worked with Infinity Worlds in Bentonville for her internship. Infinity Worlds represents manufacturers and specializes in providing detailed expertise to suppliers, helping manufacturers place their products in Walmart.
“I was overwhelmed at first,” said Madison. But she soon found that she fit in. “The business classes I took really helped me. I learned how to do my job, and I learned how to act in meetings.”
Madison worked with account managers at the company.
“We had meetings every Monday morning. We came in every Monday with something we had learned the week before.”
Madison is the daughter of Kyle and Kristina Madison of Rogers.
Tyler Thomas is a native of Magnolia, and graduated from Emerson High School in 2011.
Thomas performed a variety of marketing duties with his internship at Extreme Dog Fuel of Magnolia.
Thomas designed a 12-page brochure for the company. He also learned how to use Photoshop, edit photos, market through Facebook, and manage the company’s Facebook page.
“It was really hands on,” said Thomas. “My business classes really helped me through the internship.”
Thomas is considering pursuing his MBA, and he hopes to someday own an online clothing business.
Thomas is the son of Steve Thomas, of Magnolia, and Lana and Trey Waller, of Conway.
Story by: Mark Trout, SAU instructor of marketing
