Business major Rocio Sanchez ’18 made her internship go global; she worked the past year at Schreiber Foods in Green Bay and now continues her internship in Spain.

Schreiber Foods Internship Spans Two Continents

When Rocio Sanchez ’18 accepts her diploma from St. Norbert College this December, the 21-year-old will have real-world international business experience under her belt and likely a job offer in hand.

The business administration major has interned in the international logistics department at Schreiber Foods in Green Bay since April of 2016. 

“I’m working with the export team and do a lot of talking with customers,” Sanchez says. “So I think the fact I knew Spanish helped me get the job.”

Sanchez will gain additional experience as she studies abroad this semester in Madrid, Spain. Even better, Schreiber offered her a job at its international office in Spain, working in European sales.

“I’m pretty excited to learn what the business culture in Madrid is like,” the Chicago-native says. “This will get me out of my comfort zone and open to change.

“The office has been around for a few years now, less than the Green Bay office, so already I am seeing areas of improvement and making a list of projects I think will help the team store and find information effectively. The office is filled with diversity, there are partners from all around the world! From Russia, Germany, Brazil, Venezuela, Portugal, Japan, the U.S., of course, Spain ... and so many more. It's an exciting journey for me because not only will I learn from them but they are interested in learning from my experience at home office, where I've been the international export Intern for the last year and a half working with a great team.”

In Madrid, she is also taking three classes at Universidad Nebrija: Art in the Prado Museum, Spanish for Business, and Spanish Cinema & Society. “There is just so much about Spain [and its] culture that I am learning and am able to compare to the American and Mexican culture,” Sanchez says. “I am meeting students that have fallen in love with traveling, who have an open mind to difference and diversity, and love to discuss about world issues.”

Sanchez has already put the Green Bay internship to work where her studies are concerned.

“When we are talking about things in class, like certain regulations or terms of transactions or agreements, I could give examples in class,” she says. “I knew I was always interested in business, but this has really helped me learn what I like and what I don’t like, and made me a lot more confident.” 

Sanchez found the internship through the Hire-a-Knight program at St. Norbert’s office of career and professional development, one of many ways the school works to connect students and graduates with meaningful career opportunities.

Advisors encourage students to have at least two high-quality experiences outside of the campus, says Sheila Kronberg, assistant director of the career and professional development office. Those include internships, study-abroad experiences, jobs or gap years.

“We need them to get out and have experiences,” she says. “They get to apply what they learn in the classroom to those experiences, and they develop important soft skills needed in the 21st century.”

Sanchez’s internship supervisor, Val Holtrop, global customs and logistics manager for Schreiber, says she prepared Sanchez for work by treating her like any other employee.

“It’s a job: You are in meetings, you are planning, you are doing work that other employees are doing,” she says. “Internships give them the ability to gain experience and to see if they like working for us, and gives us an opportunity to see if they’re a good fit for us.”

She recommends all students intern.

“They need that real-world experience outside of the classroom,” says Holtrop, who had three internships while she was an undergrad. 

Sanchez is glad she took that step, saying, “I’ve learned so much and am not afraid to ask questions. Nothing is more priceless than free advice.”

When she returns from Spain, Sanchez hopes to line up a job at Schreiber, working in sales in Texas or a warmer climate, with a long-term goal of working in Schreiber’s corporate office.


Oct. 3, 2017