Poole’s ‘Three I’s for Success’ Lead Johnson to Supply Chain Pharma Internship
Megan Johnson took to heart a message she heard three years ago during orientation as an incoming freshman at the NC State University Poole College of Management.
“At orientation, Dean (Shannon) Davis told us the three I’s for success and I made it my plan to follow those during my college career,” said Johnson, now a senior majoring in business administration, with concentrations in marketing and supply chain management and a minor in Spanish. Davis is Poole College’s associate dean for undergraduate programs.
The three I’s refer to involvement, international and internships – three areas of professional development in which Poole College students are encouraged to participate.
Johnson has incorporated all three into her academic career at the college. She included the first two I’s in her initial years as a Poole College undergraduate student. This summer, she’s enjoying her work on that third ‘I’ – ‘Internship,’ working as a supply chain intern with the Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics facility in Holly Springs, N.C.
Involvement & International
“The first ‘I’ is ‘Involvement’ and I achieved this by getting involved with Poole College of Management Peer Leaders, American Marketing Association, Alpha Phi Omega, and University Scholars. In addition to being a member of these organizations I have taken on leadership roles on two executive boards,” she said. She’s director of membership for the Peer Leaders and executive vice president of the college’s collegiate American Marketing Association chapter.
Johnson focused on her second ‘I’ – ‘International’ – between her sophomore and junior years, studying in Italy that summer.
“It was an unbelievable experience and I was able to learn so much about the Italian people and the European culture,” she said. “I am also (completing a minor) in Spanish to increase my cultural awareness and ability to communicate in a second language.” While in Italy, she said she saw that “so many Europeans are able to speak more than one language. Since business is global now, I think (to be) more competitive (we need to be) able to communicate in other languages.”
Internships
This summer, she’s focusing on the third ‘I’ – ‘Internship.’ While Johnson waited until ending her junior year for her internship – she wanted to have more coursework done in her supply chain major – she had started preparing for it during her freshmen and sophomore years, working with Poole College’s Career Development staff.
“They helped me to prepare my resume, gave tips for success at the bi-annual career fairs, and offered workshops on LinkedIn profiles and practice interview sessions,” Johnson said. “I did a lot of research on companies in our area and what positions they were hiring for. I became interested in Novartis because I have been thinking about going into the pharmaceuticals industry for a while. Some of my family members and friends work for various pharmaceutical companies and I find the industry very interesting,” she said.
Research leads to internship opportunity
Johnson said she had found the internship position opportunity at Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics in Holly Springs while researching pharmaceutical companies in the area.
“I did an interview with Novartis and received an internship opportunity for the summer,” she said, working at the fairly new facility with a significant role in the national public health sector. “The Holly Springs site where I work was officially opened on November 24, 2009, and was declared pandemic-ready in December 2011, which means the site could produce vaccines for emergency use in a pandemic situation,” she said.
“This company is one of the first to bring influenza cell culture and adjuvant technology to the United States,” Johnson added. “Novartis is making advances in the Vaccines and Diagnostics division every day as well as in all of its business units, including Pharma, Alcon, Sandoz, OTC, V&D, Animal Health, NIBR and Group. It’s just like the name – derived from the Latin novae arts – which means ‘new skills,’ this company is committed to developing innovative solutions for patients worldwide.
“I am so grateful for this opportunity, as this internship is a truly a wonderful opportunity to learn more about supply chain from an innovative leader in the pharmaceutical industry,” she said.
Applying classroom knowledge to real world projects
During her internship, Johnson is working on two projects along with other daily tasks.
“My first project is focused on vendor pricing and I am responsible for creating a tool that displays the past pricing over the years for each material by vendor,” she said. “This tool will aid in negotiations and the creation of contracts with vendors. My second project is looking at inventory levels, analyzing the current settings on materials such as safety stocks and reorder points, as well as looking at the overall inventory levels and identifying our target inventory level based on near term consumption.”
The internship has Johnson “applying a lot of different skills and knowledge from my coursework and overall college experience,” she said. “The first skill that comes to mind is Microsoft Excel. I use Microsoft Excel everyday with my daily tasks and summer projects along with all of my coworkers. Everything is done on the computer now and it is important to be prepared to use it in your career. I think the M110 computer test helped me to learn more about Microsoft Excel and other Microsoft Office applications,” she said.
“Next is the knowledge from my concentration classes. I apply a lot of the topics directly to my projects. Also, skills such as time management are very important. I get delegated a lot of tasks that have very important deadlines in addition to my summer projects, so it is important to plan things out ahead of time to leave enough room for everything to be completed,” Johnson said.
Teamwork, time management skills
“In addition to time management, working on a team is very important. Some of my tasks and projects require me to work with others in my department and in other departments to collaborate and complete the task. I think I have learned a lot about working with other people from my group projects in my classes and working with other students in my extracurricular activities.”
“Working full-time is a lot different than taking classes full-time,” she said. “My class schedule has always been flexible with classes on alternating days and breaks with time for homework and extracurricular activities. Working 40 hours a week was an adjustment, but well worth it. I really enjoy what I do and am so thankful for this opportunity. I think this internship will prepare me for my future career.”
Johnson also sees value from the part-time jobs she has had previously – including roles as an ice cream shop associate and a marketing assistant at a financial institution. “I believe that you can learn a lot from any job, as long as you are open to trying something new and pursuing all opportunities presented to you,” she said. She also acknowledges the support and guidance she has received from her parents, Mike and Bettye Jo Johnson, other family members and friends, professors and advisors, co-workers and managers, support that “has allowed me to be where I am today.”
She also offers a bit of advice for other students.
“Start looking for internships early! They are the best way to get experience in the field of work you are interested in. It will help you to determine what you are truly interested in for your career. Also, you will gain a major competitive advantage when applying for jobs, because of your extra work experience. If you have the opportunity for an internship, take it,’ she said.
Novartis has had 23 interns this summer, working in various roles. Ten are from NC State University. The company accepts summer interns at the junior level and above, in engineering and sciences disciplines, as well as a few in business studies.
Johnson is the daughter of Mike and Bettye Jo Johnson. She graduated in 2009 from Green Hope High School in Cary, N.C.
