Student begins path to management

Published May 08, 2026 by
Filed under: Management Student News, Student Success News
A young woman smiles with her arms outstretched while standing on a brick walkway between two campus buildings.
Erica Allen is all smiles now, having landed a job in a manager training program with J.B. Hunt more than two months before graduation. But what you don’t see is the grit she exhibited to get to this point.

Erica Allen has grit. She will walk across the stage on May 8 and earn her degree in international business, supply chain management and marketing (triple major). She will then begin her career with J.B. Hunt in their manager trainee program in logistics and transportation. She accepted the job offer more than two months prior to graduation. Because of the timing, you might think her success came easily, but you’d be wrong.

“I had been interviewing for internships, but I couldn’t make anything stick. I went to every career fair and networked with every professional, but I did not have any luck,” Allen said.

So she tried a different approach. She said she narrowed down to what she wanted to do for her career and started asking questions. She met with Hyster-Yale recruiters and consistently followed up with them and asked for feedback. She then used this feedback to improve her skillset. She ended up interning with them.

“I learned how to effectively network with professionals, how to get initial contact, follow up, maintain, and develop those relationships,” Allen said. “I also learned how to handle rejection and stay persistent by asking for feedback, improving and continuing to show up.”

She also set herself apart from other students. Allen studied abroad in Hong Kong. She enjoyed practicing her Mandarin skills in a real setting. 

Allen worked hard on the formula for student success. She applied what she learned in class and got involved with the different offerings, like career fairs, that were available. She then networked. While it was tough in the beginning, it has worked out nicely.

“By the end of high school, I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to go to college. Since then, I have become a triple major, had the opportunity to study abroad and earned scholarships for strong academic performance –  opportunities I never thought were possible,” Allen said. “I am further along than I ever imagined I would be. That journey is what defines me. It highlights my ambition, flexibility and grit, and shows that I am someone who is willing to grow, adapt and push forward to achieve my goals.”