Lillian Chidester
Senior
Major: Marketing
Danville, Indiana

Where are you interning and what are your day-to-day responsibilities?
I am interning at Roche in Indianapolis as a Core Lab Inside Sales intern. My day-to-day responsibilities include, but are not limited to, working on sales enablement projects, assisting inside sales account executives with their daily tasks, and meeting/networking with other Roche employees.

How does this internship relate to your major?
This internship relates to my major as many marketing terms and concepts overlap directly with sales. Furthermore, my other business courses have provided me with a base knowledge to understand the basic business operations, functions, and units.

What do you like most about your internship?
The thing I like the most about my internship is how I am treated the same as all the full-time employees around me. I am working on projects and business-critical tasks that will last far beyond my time as an intern, not just doing busy work with no true meaning. I feel as if my time at Roche is meaningful and extremely valuable.

What project are you particularly proud of?
My main project this summer, that I am particularly proud of, is creating instructional videos on how to do daily tasks of an inside sales rep. In order to create the videos, I’ve needed to be trained up in the role as if I were a new hire. I have had to lean on those around me to fully understand each given task. This project will be very useful to new hires moving forward and will be a sustainable resource for the inside sales team.

What are your career goals and how is this internship preparing you?
My goal is to find a role that I feel passionate and excited about. Through this internship, I have been able to connect with a number of Roche employees who all have unique college majors and backgrounds. They have shown me that there is no exact path or course to get to where you want to be, it’s all about the knowledge and experience you gain along the way. My experience at Roche has also grown my network drastically which I know will benefit me greatly in my future.

What advice would you give another student who may be looking for an internship?
While looking for an internship, it’s easy to feel defeated as many companies will decline your application, or some may not even respond. It’s important to stay persistent, apply, network, and prepare. Eventually, it will all work out and no matter the internship you land, it will be a teaching opportunity and valuable experience.