Posted by Mike Fitch on August 5, 2021
Long gone are the days where corporate interns collect coffee orders, make copies and ask to place callers on hold. Tech Data’s internship program is built to help interns gain valuable experience while making a tangible impact on the company. This year, despite a primarily virtual environment, was no different. From IT to marketing to finance, logistics and HR, we had summer interns across the country, each with their own projects, assignments and tasks to navigate while starting their career journey.
As a former intern myself, I have a very biased affinity to watch the interns grow over the 10-week program. Almost inevitably, you can see a visible shift between the reserved, subdued orientation class to the confident, knowledgeable exit presentations. As our interns close out the 2021 summer program, we asked them about their experience and collected some of our favorite answers:
“Above all of the things I learned in my department, I learned that the company culture is just as important as what the company does. When people are on the same page and try to work toward good values, you can do great business.” — Taylor Furry (Data Science)
“Colleagues at Tech Data encourage and support one another, both professionally and personally. The atmosphere of collaboration and corporate culture is unmatched and encourages me to be the best that I can be.” — Megan Scarbath (Corporate Communications)
“The people at Tech Data are truly the best part of working here and every person I met with was able to teach me something new.” — Connor Eyerly (Cloud)
“This experience taught me that I need to listen to my gut and roll with the experiences I am given in order to be successful, happy and confident in everything that I do.” — Dalia Quiles (Reseller Connect)
“You don’t have to work in a field you major in. There is always a lot of new opportunities you can explore and grow.” — Sumairuddin Mohammed (Cloud Sales)
“Tech Data made me feel like I was part of a greater purpose.” — Jaysson Hollingshead (IT Process Capability)
“My summer at Tech Data has allowed me to attend so many meetings, shadow various different people, and dive into all different aspects of business. I don’t think I would’ve got such an engaging and informative experience anywhere else.” — Madi Bannister (Corporate Communications)
“This summer revealed the importance of collaboration. Being able to provide high-level customer service is best done with collaboration with your colleagues. The internship aligned me with a much better approach to collaboration and I’m happy to know I don’t have to tackle the hard stuff alone.” — Tanya Mckenney (Systems Engineer)
“It taught me the ins and outs of the business and how enjoyable you can make it if you put in the effort. It has shown me that you must make the most out of the time you are given.” — Dalia Quiles (Reseller Connect)
“The variety of experiences at Tech Data has better equipped me for my future career by exposing me to multiple business areas, and my variety of work showcases my adaptability and eagerness to learn.” — Megan Scarbath (Corporate Communications)
“I have learned that there are so many different aspects of marketing and I would like to explore more to gain a better understanding of how different marketing functions all work together.” — Nikita Richey (Vendor Marketing)
“I now have a much better understanding of what a career in data science would look like.” — Ember Fu (Data Science)
“I had never considered Talent Acquisition, but now I’m actively pursuing roles because of this internship. It validated my feelings that it’s okay to change course.” — Anastasia Gaertner (Talent Acquisition)
“This internship has shown me what I want out of my career, specifically to communicate with customers in a face-to-face manner.” — Matthew Daner (Product Marketing)
“When I first started, I preferred to do things on my own. After working with my great team, I have changed my mind. It was nice being able to bounce ideas back and forth off members of my team and through all areas of Tech Data.” — Nate Shumaker (Credit Operations)
“My problem-solving has increased more than anything else, to think outside the box and try and create new and unique solutions.” — Matthew Daner (Product Marketing)
“My confidence has greatly improved. I had incredibly high, unrealistic expectations for myself, but this internship allowed me to permit myself to learn. I learned that I don’t have to know everything and to set realistic goals that excite me instead of stressing me.” — Tanya Mckenney (Systems Engineer)
“Learning new data-oriented tools has expanded my professional skillset. I also gained the confidence to approach many individuals, which initially may seem daunting, especially in a virtual setting.” — Anish Agarwal (Data Engineering)
“My coding/programming, Agile mindset and interpersonal communication skills have all improved and I have also ventured into different fields and disciplines adjacent to mine, such as data science.” — Diego Conterno (Software Developer)
“Working with many different people throughout my business unit allowed me to develop clear communication skills to make sure I was able to complete projects thoroughly and timely.” — Nikita Richey (Vendor Marketing)
“The willingness of all colleagues, regardless of their “rank” or pay grade, to speak with an intern. I had the opportunity to speak one-on-one with vice presidents and directors and many more valuable colleagues. I was surprised these managers each responded to my emails and were willing and able to take time out of their day to speak with me.” — Megan Scarbath (Corporate Communications)
“The most surprising thing about my experience is how meaningful my work is to stakeholders across the globe. It really makes me happy that what I am doing is helpful to others.” — Connor Eyerly (Cloud)
“How willing anyone at this company is to lend you a hand. Everyone has absolutely blown me away with their kindness, eagerness to help, and passion for what they do.” — Madi Bannister (Corporate Communications)
“The culture! I feel like I can bring my authentic self to this professional environment and we can focus on business goals effectively. The balance is so pleasing.” — Tanya Mckenney (Systems Engineer)
“I didn’t expect to meet so many high-level executives within the company, especially in a virtual setting. Meeting executives across so many departments was a great learning experience.” — Anish Agarwal (Data Engineering)
“The most surprising thing is just how much I love the people and the company environment. It is truly a company that has shown me what it is like to enjoy your job and the people you are surrounded by.” — Dalia Quiles (Reseller Connect)
“The most surprising thing was how organized the whole internship structure was. The work assigned to me was meaningful and I was able to make an impact on the organization. You don’t see that very often in internships.” — Jaysson Hollingshead (IT Process Capability)
On behalf of Tech Data and all of our colleagues, thank you, 2021 summer interns! We loved every minute of having you and either hope to have you back soon or wish you best on your career endeavors! To learn more about Tech Data’s internship program and to prepare for applications for summer 2022, please visit our Internships at Tech Data site.
