Internships can be seen as great experiences for students in college who are looking for experience in their career path. Some majors even require students to do an internship in order to graduate. For senior International Business and Marketing major, Angela Sullivan, she had to choose between studying abroad or doing an international internship in order to graduate. She ultimately decided to do an international internship this summer as Marketing Intern for ECI Development in Managua, Nicaragua.

 

“ECI Development is a multinational corporation which specializes in international real estate,” Sullivan stated. This company works in Central and Latin America and creates people-centered, vibrant communities for all who wish to live there. Sullivan decided to apply for this opportunity due to her interest in it and the fact that she needs the credits to graduate. The process to apply for this internship was pretty standard. “I first had to send my resume and cover letter. After being contacted by email, I had to set up dates to have a couple over the phone interviews,” Sullivan mentioned.

 

Sullivan was the only intern for ECI Development this summer, which allowed her to experience a lot first hand and learn many things as well. Sullivan said, “They like to have one intern at a time so the intern gets to experience a little bit of everything during their internship.” Her responsibilities and duties for this company started off as helping out as much as possible anywhere and doing anything that her co-workers needed done. “I eventually started completing tasks in operations, customer relations, and marketing. After a couple weeks I was strictly doing marketing tasks such as updating social media platforms and creating the PowerPoint’s for webinars the company would hold for potential buyers,” Sullivan explained.

 

Sullivan was able to learn so much from this company and all of the experiences that she had this summer. She stated, “I feel like I have learned a lot because of all the hands on experiences that I had with this company. I got to see what it was like first hand working for an international corporation.”

 

Being in Managua, Nicaragua was definitely a change of scenery for Sullivan. At one point during her internship, she and her fellow co-workers rode horses to go visit their companies teak plantation. It isn’t everyday where you get to experience that type of opportunity!  

 

Although, being in Managua, Nicaragua did take her away from her home in Belle Vernon, PA. Sullivan explained, “At times it was difficult being away from home, but moving away to school helped me because I was used to distance from my family and friends.” As far as future opportunities, Sullivan already has her foot in the door as a part-time employee. “I am currently working part-time with ECI Development. I am in charge of the CEO’s social media platforms and websites,” she said.

 

Someday, Sullivan can see herself traveling back to Managua, Nicaragua because this summer made it feel like her second home.