Undergraduate Blog / Career Development

Two Internships on Two Continents

With the world moving more and more to our cell phones and everything becoming digital, it’s very easy to get lost. Lost in the tabs, tasks, and top priorities. For someone who had the opportunity for two internships, seized it, and then committed to working 70+ hours a week, time management was a challenge. 

Having a social life was definitely not a priority for me. Getting real world experience and figuring out what industry I wanted to work in was. Therefore, when I signed myself up for two internships, I was banking on these opportunities giving me more insight into what I wanted to do. The first internship I applied to was a sustainable fashion internship. It really was such a God sent opportunity. Now why do I say this? Because, my friend who is a part of a select group of individuals and families a part of the Babson College family entrepreneurship amplifier sent me a job opportunity that was offered to this specific group. My friend knowing my passion for fashion and sustainability, as I am concentrating in retail supply chain management, forwarded me the email. She emailed me saying that this opportunity was so for me and that I should seize it. While my interview for Hulu was paused due to COVID19, I felt on my heart to faithfully take steps in this direction. As I reached out to the necessary personnel in charge of the sustainable fashion internship information and interviews, I was praying fervently. I was quarantined off campus focusing solely on the film association of Babson Olin Wellesley College initiatives and finishing my courses remotely. Then, as I was figuring out what my summer would look like, I heard back from the woman offering this internship opportunity, Nidhi. She had recently graduated from Babson College’s MBA program and was back home in India. Being the daughter of one of the largest manufacturing textile companies in India, Nidhi Embroideries, she had seen how much waste has been produced from the textile industry. Therefore, observing how the market is valuing sustainability more and more, how the world is pivoting towards sustainability and how textile waste was a large problem in her own family’s company, she wanted to provide a solution. Therefore, she set on a path to creating her own sustainable fashion company through upcycling, providing re-purposed clothing, and offering donations.

Throughout this internship, I learned about the importance of brand story, brand personality, and brand tone. Through creating a number of surveys this summer, I realized that there’s so much you can learn from prospective customers. Furthermore, I provided a sample press release and PR strategy. I researched and offered solutions for sustainable packaging best practices and found vendors both in the United States and India. Subsequently, I researched over 20 international competitors analyzing their unique selling point, products offered, design style, their price point, and their aesthetic strategy. In addition, I am really grateful to have worked in a global business environment. Waking up every morning at approximately 6 AM to effectively prepare and get on the daily 7 AM EST call while it was 4:30 PM in India was a great learning experience. I’m grateful that our daily meetings held me accountable as well as allowed me to understand how her fashion business was growing day by day through the faith for our team and I were completing.

Thank you Benjapon for properly connecting me with Hao He and Babson’s alumna Nidhi. Thank you so much Hao for all of the different email correspondences in ensuring all documents we’re in the right place and properly filled out to solidify not only the remote sustainable fashion internship but the in person film production internship as well.  Thank you Arline for your consistent support, reminders, and help in managing two internships. Thank you Nidhi for giving me the opportunity to work in such a dream industry and supporting me at the same time to pursue the film production internship. Thank you for giving me the ability to continue learning about the innovative sustainability initiatives taking place. From learning about brands offering rope and nets made from human hair, all the way to understanding how to properly price clothing in meeting market demands while satisfying customer expectations, the skills, dedication, and resilience I learned is priceless. Thank you for giving me an unforgettable summer internship experience.