On any summer day, walk down the halls of Roche Holding AG, a multi-faceted, international healthcare company, and you are likely to find a Butler Bulldog. Through developing a strong partnership with the University over the course of two decades, Roche has been able to build a talent pipeline straight from 46th Street and Sunset Boulevard to their North American headquarters on the northside of Indianapolis. Each year, Roche recruits more and more Butler students to its summer internship program and, in turn, employs an increasing number of alumni to fill its professional ranks.

“Because we live in an ever-evolving world, a diverse skill set is crucial,” says Julie Schrader, Associate Director of Internship and Career Services and Butler alumna. “Employers [like Roche] love Butler students because they come into the workforce and hit the ground running. When they are finished with a task, instead of asking, ‘What now?’ they ask, ‘What more can I do?’ Instead of standing on the sidelines, they take initiative, provide input, and want to be heard.”

Senior Emily Flandermeyer ’19 is a prime example of this type of student. After attending a career fair last year, she applied for and was accepted to the Roche summer internship program. Although she is a psychology major, her position was in the communication department.

Flandermeyer began her position at Roche with previous internship experience working in psychology research and higher education. At Roche, she began working in bigger teams, thus collaborating with people with diverse backgrounds, degrees, and skill sets.

“My internship with Roche gave me the ability to gain diversity of experience,” Flandermeyer says. “As a Bulldog, Butler prepared me for the internship through its liberal arts curriculum structure. Butler makes it possible for me to major in psychology and earn a minor in both neuroscience and digital media production, so I take a variety of classes in three different departments. Because I am encouraged to pursue both my technical and creative interests, I have so much fluidity when it comes to the workforce.”

As a communication intern, Emily worked with project management, brand management, and video production. Roche also recruits interns in many other departments, from sales operation and training, marketing strategy and services, centralized diagnostics marketing, and conference and site planning.

And these real-world experiences can often pay off. Upon completing her internship, Flandermeyer was offered a full-time position at Roche which she will begin this July.