Monthly Archives: August 2023

Student Spotlight: Anvitha Makineni

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Meet Anvitha Makineni, H-E-B Merchandising & Procurement Intern

What were you doing in your role?

This summer, I had the chance to be a merchandising and procurement intern alongside a senior buyer in H-E-B’s school/office team. It provided me with a really unique perspective in understanding how the core general merchandise segments of H-E-B coexist with the grocery side of the business. A typical day for me consisted of anything from sitting in on back-to-school product review meetings, interviewing key suppliers, attending leadership panels, and working on my internship projects. My main project was all about creating greater loyalty among the Texas teacher community. Teachers spend a lot of their own money purchasing classroom school supplies, so my job was to identify unique ways to meet teacher needs while also increasing overall category growth. It was a super fun project to take on!

Aside from this project, I also worked on other projects like recommending everyday journal assortments, identifying new buying opportunities, conducting financial analyses of different merchandising techniques, assessing pricing hierarchies, and improving the overall category marketing strategy.

Biggest lesson you learned, or ways you grew from this internship?

Although cliche, the biggest lesson I learned was truly not being afraid to ask questions. I quickly realized that everyone on my team was so welcoming and supportive and wanted nothing but to help me grow. They were receptive to all of my questions and ideas, and everyone had such great insight and experience to share. I also connected with a lot of H-E-B partners outside my direct team to ask questions, and everyone was so open to meeting with me and sharing their unique journey. I would definitely say to leverage your title as intern and learn from as many people as you can!

What did you like most about the internship?

I really enjoyed being a part of H-E-B’s culture and mission. H-E-B has such a huge “People Matter” mindset. Although I heard a lot about this term as I was recruited, it was a completely different experience actually living it. H-E-B truly prioritizes its partners, and everyone carries so much trust, care, and understanding for one another. They also do so much to strengthen Texas communities. From providing grants to outstanding educators to providing large-scale disaster relief resources, I really admired their heart for people.

Anything else you want to point out to other students about your internship experience?

Learn a lot and have fun! The summer will fly by, so get involved with your projects and take every opportunity to meet new people.

Student Spotlight: Kutay Gokcen

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Kutay Gokcen

Kutay Gokcen’s first two years in Canfield BHP have been a formative experience, allowing him to take part in career development events and build meaningful relationships with alumni. Kutay’s experience helped him realize that management consulting was the right path for him, and this past year, he successfully applied for Boston Consulting Group’s (BCG) Growing Future Leaders internship program.

Read on to learn more about Kutay’s BCG summer internship experience and his advice for Canfield BHP underclassmen searching for internships!

 

1.) How has your time in Canfield BHP and McCombs helped you explore your career interests?

Canfield BHP and McCombs have been instrumental in my career exploration. Coming into college, I had no clue what career I wanted to pursue. Through the Breaking into Consulting session provided by McCombs, one-to-one chats I had with supportive and engaged Canfield BHP alumni, and corporate leadership development programs, I came to the realization that management consulting would be a good fit for me by the end of my freshman year.

 

2.) How did you become interested in BCG’s internship program, and what did the application process involve?

Once I determined that I wanted to pursue consulting, BCG’s Growing Future Leaders program came to the forefront of sophomore internship programs. Chatting with upperclassmen who went through the recruiting process and internship helped me gain invaluable insights about what the actual experience would entail. The application process was fairly typical—starting with a resume/cover letter submission, then a first round “fit” interview and online case, followed by a decision round of two back-to-back interviews.

 

3.) What does a typical day at BCG look like for you?

It’s hard to say what a typical day looks like since every day can be so different, but here’s an example of what many of my busier days have looked like. Keep in mind that it also varies greatly from case to case.

  • 8:30am: Arrive at office, get settled, and individually prioritize tasks
  • 9:00am – 9:30am: Check in with project leader for case updates and discuss tasks for the day
  • 10:30am – 11:15am: Client working group meeting
  • 12:30pm – 1:15pm: Lunch with other interns
  • 3:30pm – 4:15pm: Case Team Meeting with MDPs
  • 5:00pm – 5:30pm: Check with project leader to discuss what was done during the day and what needs to be done before next day
  • 6:00pm – 8:00pm: Personal time (getting home, eating dinner, working out, etc.)
  • 8:00pm – 9:45pm: Back online to wrap up tasks for the day

All unblocked time is spent doing individual work (e.g. preparing slide decks for client/case team meetings, Excel modeling, optimizing Alteryx workflows, etc.).

 

4.) What has been your biggest takeaway from your internship?

My biggest takeaway from this internship has been how essential it is to develop strong time management and task prioritization skills. Observing full-timers with years of experience, it was initially shocking to me how many of them have families and time-consuming hobbies 

 

5.) What are your plans moving forward? Will you stay on a consulting path?

Yes, I was already pretty set on consulting as a career path before this summer, and this internship solidified in my mind that I want to pursue it full-time (at least for the first few years upon graduation!). I still want to get an MBA, and I really have no clue what I’ll be doing after that…

 

6.) What advice do you have for Canfield BHP underclassmen searching for summer internships?

Utilize Canfield BHP’s alumni network and all the resources that this program has to offer. My conversations with Canfield BHP alumni were often the most meaningful in my career exploration and recruitment efforts. We’re super lucky to have such an intimate, diverse, and engaged alumni network, yet few students develop relationships that could prove to be invaluable in professional endeavors.

Student Spotlight: Aidan Christensen

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Aidan Christensen

For rising sophomore Aidan Christensen, Canfield BHP is all about the community. While he has yet to firmly decide on a career path, Aidan knows the friends he has made in the program–whether through studying abroad or getting involved in a finance organization–will help him achieve his career goals. In today’s blog post, we asked him to reflect on how this community has helped him in his professional development. 

 

Read on to learn more about Aidan’s career aspirations!

 

As a UT student, how have you gotten involved on campus this past year to pursue your goals?

Over the course of my freshman year, I have made sure to take advantage of the countless opportunities offered to me through events like organization fairs and tabling at the beginning of each semester. Through these, I was able to learn about the Philanthropy Investment Team (PIT), a finance organization where I currently serve as a senior analyst. PIT is a subsidiary within the University Securities Investment Team, and I cannot explain how much I’ve learned through only one year of being a part of it. I love PIT so much because through its curriculum, I’ve learned concepts ranging from accounting to being able to calculate how much impact a charity has made on the world. With the things I’ve taken away just from my freshman year in this organization, I look forward to the chance of working in consulting or private equity.

 

What type of career are you interested in?

I am interested mainly in a career in consulting. I love the idea of being able to work on a variety of cases that may require different skills and knowledge for each, as I’m the type of person who likes constantly being on the go, trying new things, and learning as much as possible. The aspect of working with people and meeting personalities that span all across the board is also very intriguing for me. I love collaborating with people, and I believe every new person I meet opens up countless doors of opportunity. 

 

How has Canfield BHP helped guide you toward meeting your career goals?  

Being in Canfield BHP has helped guide me in so many ways, but especially when it comes to figuring out how I want to spend my life after my undergraduate experience. I would say the people in Canfield BHP have contributed the most impact towards meeting my career goals thus far. A program with students from all over the nation is bound to create lasting friendships, but it’s the opportunities and uplifting culture that these students bring that truly has left the most impact on me. I have my Canfield BHP friends to thank for most of the opportunities in my life today.

 

What is your favorite memory with your Canfield BHP community?

While retreat is a top contender, I would say my favorite memory with my Canfield BHP community is actually happening right now on my study abroad trip in Copenhagen. Through these past few weeks, I have gotten so much closer with my Canfield BHP peers and friends, and it’s thanks to the countless coffee trips, dinner dates, and study sessions. I think you really get to know people when you live with them, and I have gotten to know everyone on a personal level, which has made for tight-knit bonds that I hope will last for a long time. I will say, going to karaoke with my friends here has been a stand out moment as now I finally know everyone’s go-to song.

 

What do you hope to accomplish on the Forty Acres for the next three years?

For these next three years, I hope to do more for the LGBTQ+ community, but specifically for McCombs and particularly Canfield BHP. Throughout my freshman year, I felt that there were not a lot of resources for Queer Business students. I want more light shined on LGBTQ recruiting events and conferences for business students, and my ultimate goal is to start a queer committee within the program. I want future students, especially in Canfield BHP, to feel seen and heard within the business field, as it can be a daunting environment at times. If I can provide a plethora of resources, and uplift the voices of future queer students/professionals working in business, then I’ll be perfectly content with what I accomplished on the Forty Acres.

If you would like to learn more about the Canfield BHP LGBTQ+ Affinity Group or LGBTQ+ resources at McCombs, please feel free to contact us.