Ferris State University students gain valuable work experience through internships.
Internships also can confirm or redirect career decision-making, provide marketability,
develop people skills and enhance classroom learning. Many academic programs require
one, but the experience is encouraged regardless to provide students with a better
understanding of what will be expected of them in the workplace.
Many students are participating in myriad internships this summer. Meet:
Monica Vandenberg
She is: a senior from Hudsonville, studying Operations and Supply Management.
What she Learned on her Internship: A focus on lean supply management. “At Gentex, we were trying to eliminate any of the seven forms of waste, and attempting to create a savings. I spent a lot of time on different projects, learning how to find the root cause of a problem.”
Future Plans: “I loved my experience at Gentex. I hope to use what I have learned to help attain my future career goals, and that could include working for Gentex after I graduate.”
Other Groups at Ferris: Monica is the secretary of the Operations and Supply Chain Management Association, a new Ferris registered student organization. She is also a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars.
Ferris Core Values Monica Relates to: Opportunity as “I love taking leaps, or chances, and seeing where I end up.” Also, Excellence, “as I always strive to do my best, whether it is on the job or in class.”
Making a Difference in her Internship: Monica put in extra work over various shifts, to see the effect that each project presents. “We converted a holding area of a warehouse, which reduced the amount of material on the production floor. It level the workload for schedulers and material handlers.”