For听Eva De La Rosa, a junior听Business major听with a听Marketing minor听from the Chicago area, this past summer was one of discovery 鈥� of her interests,听her strengths, and what it means to find purpose in business.听
De La Rosa鈥檚听internship at听Reyes Holdings听didn鈥檛听come through a formal application portal, but through a connection right on campus.听听
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鈥淒irector of Student Success and Career Development听Wendy听Chapman听sent out an email听to Chicago-area business majors about the opportunity,鈥澨鼶e La Rosa听recalled. 鈥淚 reached out to her with my resume, and she shared my information with the company. They followed up to set up an interview and connected me with the team.鈥�听
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That simple step led to a summer of meaningful work 鈥� and real growth.听
鈥淚 feel like I鈥檝e been able to apply a lot of what I鈥檝e learned in the classroom, especially around听Corporate Social Responsibility听and the common good,鈥澨鼶e La Rosa听said.听听
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a business framework that calls organizations to balance profit with ethical, environmental, and social responsibility.听
In many ways, the experience reflected 黑料网吃瓜爆料鈥檚 mission to form students with the competence to see and the courage to act鈥攈elping De La Rosa recognize the ethical dimensions of business and confidently apply what she learned in service of the common good.听
鈥淚 spent my whole summer reviewing CSR reports, so I became听very familiar听with how companies approach these initiatives. That experience gave me an edge back in class 鈥� I can now share with my听classmates听what businesses听actually do.鈥�听
Also having the opportunity to work听on the听asset management team, De La Rosa found herself exploring an area she had not anticipated. 鈥淲hen I decided to major in business, I didn鈥檛 really know what went into working in the field 鈥� there are so many different paths,鈥� she said. 鈥淭his internship helped me figure out what I like and what I don鈥檛, and I found that I really enjoy asset management.鈥�听
Her听capstone project听involved collaborating with different facilities to听identify听low- or听no-cost ways to reduce operating expenses, and to communicate those recommendations strategically. 鈥淚t was about creating improvement plans that made sense both financially and environmentally,鈥� she explained.听
But it听was not听just the work that challenged her 鈥� it was also the experience of speaking up and asking for help. 鈥淚 think the hardest thing was pushing myself to ask questions,鈥澨鼶e La Rosa听admitted. 鈥淚 was nervous about people thinking I听did not听know something. But my colleagues听were so encouraging. They reminded me that I was there听to learn and听did not听have听to听know everything.听We鈥檇听have lunch together or go out to eat 鈥� it made the workplace feel comfortable and supportive.鈥�听
De La Rosa鈥檚 team in听Rosemont, Illinois听was small but connected to others across the country. 鈥淥ne of the people I worked with most closely听was听based in California,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e used Microsoft Teams a lot to collaborate. I had both a manager and a mentor 鈥� my听manager guided my projects, and my mentor focused on sustainability. It was the best of both worlds.鈥�听
The experience stretched听De La Rosa鈥檚 comfort zone in the best way possible. 鈥淥verall, I learned that even if I鈥檓 not super familiar with something, I can still produce good work by asking questions, trying my best, and seeking feedback,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 also learned how to be mindful of people鈥檚 time 鈥� to be efficient when asking questions and getting input.鈥�听
De La Rosa听credits听Holy Cross听with preparing her well for that mindset. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know what I would be walking into, so it was all very new,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut听Holy听Cross taught me how to stay organized and on top of my work. Between classes,听SGA, and now being an听RA in James Hall,听I鈥檝e听learned to manage my time and communicate effectively 鈥� and that really helped me during the internship.鈥�听
One of her biggest takeaways came from attending a听sustainability conference听with her manager, Patrick.听She听recalled听that someone asked him, 鈥楻eyes is a private company 鈥� what鈥檚 the motive behind focusing on sustainability?鈥欌��.听鈥淧atrick said that听it鈥檚听part of the company鈥檚 culture to do the right thing, even if听it鈥檚听not publicized. That really stuck with me. It showed me that business can be both for profit and for people 鈥� and听that鈥檚听something Holy Cross has instilled in us from day one.鈥�听
As she looks ahead,听De La Rosa听knows what听she听will听be听seeking听in her next experience. 鈥淚鈥檓 really looking for a strong听corporate culture听鈥� a place where people take time to get to know one another and build听community,鈥� she said. 鈥淚f it鈥檚 somewhere I might want to work long-term, I want to explore whether it鈥檚 a place where I can thrive.鈥�听
From finding confidence in asking questions to discovering how values and business can align,听De La Rosa鈥檚 summer taught her that learning听does not听end in the classroom 鈥� it just begins there.听
To see more about internship and professional development at Holy Cross, visit听Career Development – Holy Cross.听