Graduate Assistant Spotlight: Theresa Goldkamp

Theresa Goldkamp is the B.I. Moody III College of Business Administration Internship Coordinator and an MBA student. We interviewed her to find out more about her role and how she can help students who are seeking internships.

Where did you get your Undergrad degree and what was your major?
UL Lafayette Moody College of Business, Marketing

What graduate degree are you pursuing at Moody Business?
Master of Business Administration (MBA) with a concentration in Entrepreneurship

Why did you decide to attend Graduate School?
I genuinely enjoy learning and graduate school provided me with not only an opportunity to continue learning, but also an opportunity to prepare myself for success and further advancement in my future career path. I specifically chose the entrepreneurship program because I have hopes of opening my own business one day.

What are you hoping to accomplish as a graduate assistant with the internship program?
My goal is to connect students with employers so that they can get valuable professional learning experiences needed to be successful in their future careers, while providing employers with student interns that they can develop into full time employees after graduation.

How do you help students who are interested in the internship program?
My job is not only to connect students with employers in our Moody College of Business network and provide direction and tips in acquiring internships, but also to guide them through the process of applying to get course credit for their internship experience.

Why do you think the internship program is beneficial to students?
Participating in an internship is one of the most important things you can do to jump start your post-graduation career. It provides connections and networking. You gain valuable real-life professional experience that you can’t simulate in a classroom. Participating in an internship through the Moody Business internship program gives you access to do all these things WHILE earning course credit that counts towards your degree at the same time.

Did you have an internship during while earning your bachelor’s degree?
I participated in an internship with BrandRUSSO, a marketing and branding agency, where I interned for a semester as a marketing research intern. As an intern, I helped collect data on our clients’ target markets to help our brand developers better serve our clients, helped our business development specialists develop their monthly contact lists and other sales strategies for client acquisition efforts, and other market research related tasks. I learned a lot about the sales and client acquisition process by helping the business development managers, as well as the development of marketing strategies for clients from working with the brand developers.

What advice would you give to students interested in the internship program?
My best advice to students would be to START EARLY! If you are at all interested, start looking for an internship early and start the program application process early. It takes time and the application deadline can sneak up on you!

What upcoming internship events do you want students to know?
The business majors day of the Office of Career Services Virtual Career Fair is Thursday, September 17 from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. This event is a great place to start looking for internships for the Spring 2021 semester. Students can learn more and register to attend in Handshake using their ULID and password at louisiana.joinhandshake.com. It’s never too early to make connections and start looking for an internship, because the application deadline for Spring 2021 is January 19.

Is there anything else you would like to say in your spotlight?
A lot of students in the College of Business don’t realize they have a Moodle page (where their regular courses appear) specifically dedicated to the internship program named “Moody College of Business Internship Program”, which is full of resources and opportunities to help them get started in searching for an internship, and applying for course credit once they’ve acquired one. If students are looking for an internship or are interested in the program, they should definitely visit our Moodle page to get started.

How do students and employers learn more about the Moody Business internship program?
Learn more about the Moody Business Internship Program and get the student application at business.louisiana.edu/internship or email internship@louisiana.edu.