September 24, 2021
In turn with Devin Daniels
This week’s intern focus turns to Devin Daniels of Nags Head, North Carolina. The MBA student (and former supply chain management undergrad) recently interned with government contractor General Dynamics Information Technology in Sterling, Virginia. During his time at GDIT, Daniels supported the company’s order fulfillment team as part of a fast-paced multi-building distribution operation on a global customer-facing contract.
“During the first two weeks of my internship, I shadowed operations to gain insights into the receiving, picking and shipping department’s methodologies and processes. My primary responsibilities included supporting the order fulfillment team, including order management, allocating and releasing materials, managing service level agreements, managing backorders, and alternative sourcing.”
How have you applied what you learned in your classwork to this position?
I believe what I learned in my ECU supply chain classes exponentially reduced the initial learning curve most professionals have with a new role, which allowed me to take on more responsibilities than management had initially intended.
What was the most challenging thing you experienced during your internship, and how did what you learned in the COB help you overcome it?
The most challenging part of my internship was both of my final projects. I was given the opportunity to analyze the program’s historical customer demand for its extensive parts catalog. I provided them with a 12-month forecast and a material planning report of my findings and then presented the project to upper management.
My second project was a team-based project with other interns based all over the country. Beyond working on zoom/teams, the most challenging part about this project was co-creating a Tableau dashboard to help visualize the project’s data.
How did you apply what you learned in BUSI 1200, BUSI 2200, BUSI 3200 or BUSI 4200 to your internship?
All the BUSI courses played a significant role in getting this internship and, most importantly, being successful.
What has this internship taught you about responsibility?
This internship has taught me a lot about responsibility, most notably, how important it is to be proactive and the significance of successful time management.
How will this internship benefit you?
First and foremost, this internship will benefit me in the future because of the connections that I made this summer. Secondly, I gained real-time experience utilizing GDIT’s digital supply chain applications, including ERP, WMS and BPM systems. Lastly, my time with GDIT helped me to connect the dots with supply chain terminology, so to speak, as I gained real-world experience with the conceptual material that I have been learning throughout my time at ECU.
Why would you recommend a business student take advantage of an internship opportunity?
I recommend that business students take as many internships as they can. Internships can help you decide on your major. For instance, if I did not enjoy my summer experience, I would know that this supply chain function is not for me. I could focus on another function of the supply chain or switch my major entirely.