Meet Abilene Sosa Baez

Student Spotlight

Abilene Sosa Baez, a junior from Webster City, Iowa, studying human resource management, spent her summer as an employment specialist intern at Colony Brands, Inc. in Monroe, Wisconsin.

“Some of my responsibilities included recruiting candidates, interviewing candidates, writing reports, hiring employees, completing onboarding paperwork (1-9, W-2, direct deposit), and presenting orientation.”

Baez speaks highly of the internship, noting many positive experiences from her time there. She especially enjoyed being able to attend a work trip to Cleveland, Ohio, and had a great time bonding with coworkers and learning more about Colony Brands.

“The company I worked for has a very strong internship program that has been around for a long time. It was hands-on, and the responsibilities that came with it provided real-world experience, better preparing me for my future endeavors.”

Outside of school, Baez enjoys going to the gym, spending time with friends, and involving herself in clubs on campus. One of these clubs is the Society of Human Resource Management – Student (SHRM). Through her involvement in this club, she learned about the Colony Brands internship opportunity.

“The president of SHRM at the time, Emma (Sarver) Dulaney, sent out internship opportunities as they came to her. I decided to apply as it was spring semester, and I had still not secured an internship. I was intrigued as I had previously moved out of state for an internship, so when the opportunity came about to intern out of state for six months, there was no question about it. I enjoy being independent. The benefits of taking the semester off to work and advance my skills were too good to pass up.”

“An internship is only as beneficial as you make it, so be open to learning and networking.”

— Abilene Sosa Baez

There are a variety of ways in which the Ivy College of Business can benefit students, and aiding in the process of finding and preparing for an internship is one that Baez experienced first-hand.

“Core business courses are definitely something I didn’t understand until starting my position with Colony Brands,” she said. “The information learned in those courses proved very beneficial and helped me feel much more prepared during my internship. I am also very grateful to have found SHRM as they have guest professionals who speak on different aspects of HR and give opportunities to increase professionalism.”

Baez was able to find success in her internship and created a lot of beneficial connections and joyous memories throughout the summer. With internship opportunities not always being easy to come by, Baez shared some advice for fellow students looking to pursue an internship in the future:

“Especially now as I am in HR and working with hiring, I would say to be confident. Make sure that when you are completing your interview, you are also interviewing them to see if they are a good fit for you. An internship is only as beneficial as you make it, so be open to learning and networking.”

To connect with Baez or to follow her collegiate and professional journey, visit her on LinkedIn.

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August 29, 2023