"The world is the true classroom. The most rewarding and important type of learning is through experience, seeing something with our own eyes."– Jack Hanna
Throughout the year, the Source One team offers the “classroom” mentioned in this influential quote by Jack Hanna by allowing college students to participate in the internship program. Throughout their tenure as an Analyst Intern for Source One, students are educated on procurement consulting through real world experience. Interns are included as a full member of the team from the moment they step through the door – from participating in various process trainings to attending team building events. Gaining real world experience is a key component of the internship program as interns are exposed to a number of verticals including client services and business development and marketing.
Here’s an introduction to the excellent talent participating in the summer internship at Source One. Be sure to look for more blogs from our interns titled: The Intern Corner.
Colin
My name is Colin Sloan and I am twenty-one years old. Originally from Wilmette, IL, a suburb on the lake just north of Chicago. Growing up, I always dreamt of one day being able to commute and work every day in one of the best cities in America—just another benefit of working at Source One’s Midwest office. As I approach my senior year this fall at The University of Iowa, I do so with much excitement and some grief knowing that my time as a Hawkeye undergrad will soon be over. Originally I went to Iowa to pursue a degree in English, however after much consideration and realistic projections of what my future holds, I switched gears to a more business-oriented route. Now, I will finish up my senior year studying Entrepreneurial Business with a minor in Business Administration. The question I often get with this Major is wondering when I plan on starting my own business; and while the idea of trying to start my own venture is not a major possibility in my future, what was most attractive to me in taking this route were ample opportunities for real-world application in the many facets of business and the independence to craft the scope, methodology, and execution of projects and assignments.
After I was offered a position with Source One, I was more than eager to begin knowing that I would most thrive in an environment where similar opportunities for real-world application and a certain degree of autonomy were present.
As I began my first day as an intern, after making the scenic commute into Chicago’s River North area, I was greeted by the team that seemed as excited as I was to begin this intern experience. The training courses I took laid a very detailed foundation of the Source One process and what it really means to operate in the procurement space. As I received my first few assignments, I was quickly exposed to the three verticals that we service through several audits, gathering telecom data for an expansive baseline report, and kicking off the mock sourcing event which each intern will work to complete and present on their deliverables by the end of the internship. Leading up to my first day, I had no idea how my initial understanding in the world of procurement and strategic sourcing would expand in being exposed to the daily activity at Source One. With insight from those who worked to prepare me for my first day, the opportunity to be surrounded by busy analysts and project managers is what made me truly realize just how critical strategic sourcing is to a company’s bottom line—especially when an organization has no idea of the cost-saving alternatives in their supply chain.
Initially, I wanted to gain influential responsibilities while seeing exposure to several different industries, stages in projects, and business segments. Now six weeks into my internship experience with Source One, these goals have been and continue to be met with each new project assigned to me.
Irena
My name is Irena Fridman and I am a 21-year-old from Philadelphia, PA. I am going to be a senior at Temple University, majoring in Actuarial Science and minoring in Business Analytics. Some fun facts about me are that Russian was my first language even though I was born here, and I studied abroad in Rome for a semester last summer.
While searching for an internship with the help of Temple University’s Fox School of Business, I was given numerous tips. These included: business casual attire means a blouse and pants; you should be generally prepared for anything your internship throws at you; and attend every happy hour without getting too happy. My first week here taught me that although these hints would be helpful for the typical corporate workplace, they do not apply as strictly to Source One. The laid-back, friendly atmosphere here surprised me instantly. With a “Welcome to Source One” IM from several co-workers, and a manager that I could both talk to about my weekends with and ask for assistance with projects from, I instantly felt at home.
After working on several spend analysis, audits, and blogging projects, I hope to continue learning about the multiple aspects of procurement and the sourcing strategy process. As an Actuarial Science major, my work opportunities lacked diversity. Branching out to business analytics allowed me to have an opportunity to work at a company that touches on anything that might interest me, from luxury car brands to health insurance.
Jared
My name is Jared Rosenberg; I am 26 years old and am from Richland, PA, currently living in Warminster, PA. I am going into my senior year at Temple University working toward a BBA in Economics. I am currently the Director of Jobs and Outreach for the Temple Economics Society, where I bring in employers and assist in planning career fairs and events for the members. Before coming to Temple University, I spent over three years on active duty in the United States Marine Corps working in the communications profession.
At Temple I attended many events, one of which where I was introduced to some of the Source One team. When I started at Source One, I didn’t really know what to expect and definitely was over dressed wearing a suit on the first day. The amount of information received on the first few days was a bit overwhelming at times because I had no idea of many of the terms and processes utilized. I got to meet everyone at the office and they were all very inviting and helpful. I have been working on multiple projects including working with the spend analysis tool, spend classification assistance directory, clients manufacturing new products, and many other projects. Source One has provided me with the guidance and opportunity to further my career. My goal is to gain as much information as possible to better prepare me for my future after graduation.
Joseph
My name is Joseph Belli and I am nineteen years old from Colts Neck, New Jersey. I am approaching my sophomore year at Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey with majors in Accounting and Finance. My first year in college passed by all too quickly which helped me realize that the next three won’t be any slower. So, I concluded that I need to make every year count in order to take full advantage of everything these upcoming years have to offer – which is why I began my internship at Source One.
On my first day I was introduced to everyone in the Willow Grove office, some being familiar faces from when I had visited Source One in the past. Learning about everyone’s role and position followed by a sincere “welcome to the team” and “we can really use your help this summer” gave me feelings of excitement. After meeting every one, I was shown to my desk and began all of the introductory training processes and starting learning about the intricacies surrounding the world of procurement. I then began working on several audits and various projects for the communications team such as reaching out to non-profits to organize a service event that most of the team could attend.
Whenever being assigned a task from a member of the team, I realized how eager everyone is to make me feel included in the project. Before beginning a task, I am normally told why what I am doing is going to be important in the long run and what impact I am having on the project, along with some background on the client and what we are generally doing for them. I seriously appreciate how I am told why I am doing something, rather than solely what I am doing. It makes me feel important in the overall scheme of the project.
Another initial thought I had after working at Source One for a few days was how connected everyone is. From using the instant messaging system, to e-mails, to google hangout meetings with the team in Chicago, everyone is brought together through all possible means of communication. Although the Chicago office is hundreds of miles away, it seems as if the two offices are physically connected due to the various methods of communication between the two offices.
For my first internship experience, my only goal is to learn and adjust to what a normal office environment would be like – but Source One does not have a typical environment. The feeling of camaraderie and the evident gregariousness of every employee makes Source One have a unique environment that cannot be mimicked. The members of the team are not only interested in what I can do, but who I am as well. I came to Source One with an open mind and an attitude geared towards learning. Within my first few weeks here, I realized all that there is to learn and know that Source One will not fail to educate me in things I do not know, and things I never thought to learn.
Sydney
My name is Sydney Cucchiara and I am twenty years old. I am from Kansas City, KS and will be a junior at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX. I am currently a dual Industrial Engineering and Mathematics major with a minor in Statistical Science. I have always wanted to live in the city of Chicago, originally looking to attend school there, however I decided on attending SMU with the possibility of interning in the city over the summer. I was very excited to be offered the intern position at Source One and to be able to spend my summer in one of my favorite cities in America.
Before my first day at Source One, I was a little nervous to begin my first internship. However, from the moment I walked through the door, I was greeted by the local Chicago team and was immediately put at ease. I was lucky to find out that I wasn’t the only newbie at the office, because there was another intern, Colin, who had just recently started. I was excited to begin my work after going through all the training and learning exactly what it means to be a procurement service provider. Since my first day I have worked on projects focused on data cleansing, contract analysis, as well as internal work such as content for the Source One webpage. I have really enjoyed working with data analysis because I can see first-hand how we are reducing a company’s cost. My main goal with this internship has been to gain as much experience across all areas of strategic sourcing and to hopefully find a focus on what I really enjoy. With any luck, by the end of the summer I will have gained a vast knowledge on what it means to function in the procurement world and have found an area that I would like to focus on when I finish college.