Scott DeVault 鈥�09 paints a vivid picture: it was only a few months into his internship at Atlanta-based , and he had all eyes of senior management staring at him expectantly.
An intern with the marketing department of the iconic brand, Scott was participating in a strategy session for future marketing tactics. He had just been asked his opinion for which strategy he thought would best reach the company鈥檚 target market. He had an opinion, but certainly didn鈥檛 expect the experts at the famous automaker to ask for it. However, this was a familiar scenario; Scott had experienced it many times during his classes at Oglethorpe. That gave him the confidence to speak up and deliver an intelligent, thoughtful response that he was proud to contribute.
Internally at Porsche, we use the term 鈥榚ntrepreneurial spirit鈥�, and to me that sounds a lot like what Oglethorpe wants their students to possess upon graduation.
Scott is not alone in that internship scenario, or at Porsche. Ryanne Arola 鈥�10, who in 2010 was the first Oglethorpe student to secure an internship with Porsche Cars North America, had helped Scott get his foot in the door by suggesting that he apply for an open internship. He impressed his supervisors and was hired as a marketing analyst, and is now one of 10 Oglethorpe alumni working at Porsche, six of whom started out as interns. That鈥檚 no coincidence. Porsche鈥檚 corporate culture and Oglethorpe鈥檚 education seem to complement one another perfectly鈥攁nd the word is out.
Perhaps one reason that Oglethorpe students fit in well at Porsche is because the two share a similar philosophy.
鈥淚nternally at Porsche, we use the term 鈥榚ntrepreneurial spirit鈥�,鈥� Scott says, 鈥渁nd to me that sounds a lot like what Oglethorpe wants their students to possess upon graduation.鈥� At Porsche, everyone鈥檚 opinion is considered and every student and employee is expected to share their unique thoughts. 鈥淎t Oglethorpe,鈥� Scott says, 鈥渋t鈥檚 not just the curriculum that鈥檚 different, but how you are asked to learn it. It鈥檚 not about taking notes and regurgitating it on a test鈥攜ou are asked questions and are expected to provide intelligent answers.鈥�
鈥�(At Porsche) everyone is very interested in what interns bring to the table,鈥� agrees Alexandra (Lexi) Vassell , a 2013 graduate and new permanent hire at Porsche Financial Services. 鈥淔rom day one you are at meetings, they are asking you questions and they want your input. I was never once referred to as an intern; I was always referred to as someone鈥檚 colleague.
For Lexi, being a former OU soccer player was the key to helping her land her internship with Porsche just before she graduated. 鈥淚 received an email notification about an open position in the COO鈥檚 office from the career services department at Oglethorpe,鈥� Lexi says, 鈥渁nd I recognized the name of the person who posted the listing as a former teammate from OU.鈥� Lexi reached out (via text message!) to Jamie Dillon 鈥�08, an event marketing specialist at Porsche Cars North America, and soon landed the position. In fact, seven of the ten OU alumni working at Porsche were Stormy Petrel soccer players.
Lexi, now a remarketing advisor for Porsche Financial Services, says that she is confident in recommending Oglethorpe students for open internship positions with her employers, sometimes even when she doesn鈥檛 know them all that well. 鈥淎 student I was familiar with through playing soccer at OU contacted me about an internship position, and the first thing I did was contact Dr. (Lynn) Guhde at Oglethorpe.鈥� After receiving a good reference for the student from her former business professor, Lexi felt comfortable suggesting him for the position. 鈥淚鈥檓 putting myself out on a limb, recommending someone I don鈥檛 really know,鈥� she admits, 鈥渂ut I can trust that since he attended Oglethorpe he clearly has the work ethic that we are looking for.鈥� Lexi has been responsible for the hiring of four Oglethorpe students, whether as interns, contractors or full-time employees.
For Scott, one of the most important aspects of an Oglethorpe education is the close relationships that students form with their professors. 鈥淭hey know the name of everyone in the class and about their career goals and can present opportunities when they arise.鈥�
Scott and Lexi have seen the value of the liberal arts and sciences and Oglethorpe鈥檚 Core curriculum in action. Scott transferred to Oglethorpe from a large university, and says, 鈥渁ll I had been studying for three years was business and marketing, and all of the sudden I鈥檓 thrown into the Core classes, reading things I never thought I would read and having discussions I never thought I would have.鈥� Those discussions proved to be valuable in his workplace experiences, both as an intern and as an employee at Porsche. 鈥淎fter completing the Core curriculum you likely have a base knowledge about whatever topic is being discussed, and if you don鈥檛, you feel confident that you can learn it because you鈥檝e been in that position before. Knowing a little bit about art, music, business and economics has helped me relate to a wide array of people that I have met while representing Porsche at trade shows.鈥�
鈥淲hen I was a freshman,鈥� adds Lexi, 鈥渟ome of my friends were at big colleges just sitting in the back of the classroom and felt like they were just a number. Meanwhile, I was presenting to my class a 20-page paper that I wrote about a philosopher or space travel, and my major was in behavioral science and HR! Because of that experience, I was able to walk into my internship with the mindset that whatever they throw at me I鈥檒l be able to conquer.鈥�
At the same time, having a group of fellow Petrels in the workplace has also been helpful for new interns and employees at Porsche. 鈥淚t鈥檚 nice to have several people who know your background that you can go to and not have to feel embarrassed asking 鈥榙umb鈥� questions. They will often understand because they had the same questions when they were interns鈥� Scott says. He laughs that new hires from Oglethorpe sometimes get good-natured razzing from other employees: 鈥淭hey say, 鈥榳ho the hell are you, and how do you know everyone already?鈥欌��
鈥淢y boss teases me and has asked if I鈥檓 trying to start a 鈥榗ult,鈥欌�� Lexi says with a smile. 鈥淗e says that I should work in HR, because anytime there is an open position, I bring him a stack of resumes. Then when someone gets hired and the email announcement goes out, everyone replies with 鈥榓nother one from Oglethorpe? How many of you are there?鈥欌��
Scott is no longer surprised when asked for his opinion in meetings. Porsche is a good fit for him, and it seems as though his superiors agree. When a position recently opened up in his department, Scott鈥檚 supervisor asked him to bring in five r茅sum茅s. When Scott asked why, the answer was simple: 鈥榖ecause I want more people like you.鈥�
