By Cameron Walker<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOne of my career goals is to work in product development for an athletic apparel company, so <\/span>Nike<\/span><\/a> has always been a top choice for me,\u201d said <\/span>NC State<\/span><\/a> Textile Engineering<\/span><\/a> senior Carmen Davis, who spent the summer as an intern at Nike world headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon. \u201cI knew that they offered an incredible <\/span>internship program<\/span><\/a> and that was something that I wanted to be a part of.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Davis, also majoring in Chemical Engineering, spent the previous two summers as a process engineering intern at <\/span>Procter & Gamble<\/span><\/a>. We asked her to share her summer internship experience and advice for current and future internship seekers. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n
\n\n“I had so many incredible mentors, many of whom were NC State Wilson College of Textiles alumni. It was amazing to see how NC State helped contribute to their successes at Nike.”<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
What was it like to intern with Nike? <\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Manufacturing Innovation Team is working on developing new technologies and capabilities to disrupt current footwear manufacturing methods. Footwear manufacturing is an extremely laborious process — over 250 people go into the making of a single pair of shoes. The team that I was on was working to develop more responsive and sustainable footwear manufacturing methods. Over the course of the summer, I got to develop and execute a trial with an external supplier to demonstrate a new manufacturing capability in the construction of a prototype shoe. It was really cool to be able to utilize engineering principles to develop something I wear everyday.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
My building was a combination of an office, lab and manufacturing environment. I was able to do a lot of hands-on lab work and then go back to my desk to analyze the results.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
This summer I was so impressed with how generous employees were with their time. Everyone I met was approachable, kind, and happy to share their career development advice and expertise with me. The collaborative and team based culture is present in the constant flow of coffee chats in the Mia Hamm Cafe, cheering on Ronaldo Field at lunch during soccer games, and the buzz of excitement when celebrating a team success.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
I had so many incredible mentors, many of whom were NC State <\/span>Wilson College of Textiles<\/span><\/a> alumni. It was amazing to see how NC State helped contribute to their successes at Nike. I also made a lot of very close friends among the Nike intern group. There were 250 interns from all over the United States, in a variety of majors including marketing, computer science, and engineering. Nike held several intern events, including a white water rafting trip on the Deschutes and a trip to watch a Major League Soccer game (Portland Timbers). These events allowed me to meet interns outside of my department and form close friendships.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
How did you find out about your internship<\/b>?<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
As an avid distance runner, I have always wanted to have a hand in working to develop and innovate the next generation of athletic apparel materials. I found out about my internship through one of my academic advisors. I emailed a contact at Nike, who recommended that I apply online and through ePACK<\/a>. After applying online, I went through several rounds of phone interviews before receiving my offer. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
What is your favorite part of the job<\/b>?<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Can you describe a typical day on the job<\/b>?<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
My day consisted of running tests in the lab, prepping samples for trials, and meeting with people relevant to my project. Toward the end of the summer, I traveled to downtown Portland where I was helping to run a trial at one of Nike\u2019s vendors. I also set-up \u201ccoffee chats\u201d with people in outside departments as a way to network and learn more about other areas of Nike. Throughout my summer, I attended a number of speaker series, professional development workshops, and happy hours set up by the <\/span>Nike<\/span><\/a> intern program.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
What is your advice for fellow internship seekers? <\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
What did you learn from your experience<\/b>? <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am going to use the project management, time management, and communication skills gained during my internship this summer throughout my year-long Textile Engineering\/<\/span>Textile Technology<\/span><\/a> Senior Design class and other <\/span>clubs<\/span><\/a> I am involved in on campus. Having the opportunity to intern at Nike this past summer truly solidified my desire to work for a company in the athletics industry.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false,"raw":"\n\n\n\n\n
By Cameron Walker<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOne of my career goals is to work in product development for an athletic apparel company, so <\/span>Nike<\/span><\/a> has always been a top choice for me,\u201d said <\/span>NC State<\/span><\/a> Textile Engineering<\/span><\/a> senior Carmen Davis, who spent the summer as an intern at Nike world headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon. \u201cI knew that they offered an incredible <\/span>internship program<\/span><\/a> and that was something that I wanted to be a part of.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Davis, also majoring in Chemical Engineering, spent the previous two summers as a process engineering intern at <\/span>Procter & Gamble<\/span><\/a>. We asked her to share her summer internship experience and advice for current and future internship seekers. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
What was it like to intern with Nike? <\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
I had so many incredible mentors, many of whom were NC State <\/span>Wilson College of Textiles<\/span><\/a> alumni. It was amazing to see how NC State helped contribute to their successes at Nike. I also made a lot of very close friends among the Nike intern group. There were 250 interns from all over the United States, in a variety of majors including marketing, computer science, and engineering. Nike held several intern events, including a white water rafting trip on the Deschutes and a trip to watch a Major League Soccer game (Portland Timbers). These events allowed me to meet interns outside of my department and form close friendships.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
How did you find out about your internship<\/b>?<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
As an avid distance runner, I have always wanted to have a hand in working to develop and innovate the next generation of athletic apparel materials. I found out about my internship through one of my academic advisors. I emailed a contact at Nike, who recommended that I apply online and through ePACK<\/a>. After applying online, I went through several rounds of phone interviews before receiving my offer. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
What is your favorite part of the job<\/b>?<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Can you describe a typical day on the job<\/b>?<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
My day consisted of running tests in the lab, prepping samples for trials, and meeting with people relevant to my project. Toward the end of the summer, I traveled to downtown Portland where I was helping to run a trial at one of Nike\u2019s vendors. I also set-up \u201ccoffee chats\u201d with people in outside departments as a way to network and learn more about other areas of Nike. Throughout my summer, I attended a number of speaker series, professional development workshops, and happy hours set up by the <\/span>Nike<\/span><\/a> intern program.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
What is your advice for fellow internship seekers? <\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
What did you learn from your experience<\/b>? <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am going to use the project management, time management, and communication skills gained during my internship this summer throughout my year-long Textile Engineering\/<\/span>Textile Technology<\/span><\/a> Senior Design class and other <\/span>clubs<\/span><\/a> I am involved in on campus. Having the opportunity to intern at Nike this past summer truly solidified my desire to work for a company in the athletics industry.<\/span><\/p>\n"},"excerpt":{"rendered":"