Alexandria Dixon '19: My Summer Internship Experience With the SAP iXp Program

By Alexandria Dixon '19

After competing with hundreds of applicants and after several interviews, I was offered to join the SAP iXp program. I was excited to accept the offer of DoD Implementation Specialist for the summer of 2018 with SAP Concur. During the internship, I had hands on experience by working with their Global Services and Service Delivery team to minimize risks and contribute to action tracking. In addition, as a project manager, I produced detailed reports and reviewed project documentation. I felt confident that I would do well in this position because of the great critical thinking, communication, and time management skills that I was taught throughout my time at Ferrum College.

The beginning of my internship started with an awesome adventure full of traveling and meeting people from different parts of the world. SAP flew all the interns in the United States (approximately 300 total) to an intern summit event in San Francisco! At the summit, we attended guest speakers (topics such as self-branding, diversity and inclusion, the future of technology, exploring unexplored opportunities, time management, and the importance of networking), social events, and team building exercises. During some down time, I was able to see the Golden Gate Bridge and other monumental places. On another fun note, I won a Starbucks gift card for the best social media presence of the whole summit (if you are on Twitter, this hashtag: #myixpstory, is where you will find all the tweets from the event if you want to find out more about the iXp experience. If interested in my personal experience, my Twitter handle is @alex22dixon).

I was excited to begin working with SAP Concur to assist them in acquiring the United States Department of Defense (DoD) as a customer for SAP Concur travel and expense. Throughout SAP, employees are encouraged to stay healthy mentally and physically. I took advantage of the opportunity to improve my health by going to the Vienna office’s company gym every morning before work and walking at least one mile with fellow co-workers. In addition, I attended an employee experience presentation on happiness and learned how to make small changes to improve my overall happiness. At SAP, they believe that when employees are at their best, the company is at its best (I strongly support this belief).

During the ten-week program, I attended customer meetings, presented research findings on various topics, created over twenty-one templates, and designed the project portal for both parties to collaborate on. To accomplish all of these tasks, I worked with different team members in several departments all over the globe within SAP Concur. I enjoy working somewhere that treats interns like equal employees and values their input. I believe that the work I did will make a difference and that it has helped me to gain skills to add to my personal "toolbox". After many work-filled days, the week usually ended with a social event. A few of the events included a National's baseball game, an Escape Room activity, and a Top Golf celebratory activity. We were able to relax, have some fun, and get to bond with fellow employees.

During the 9th week of this internship, all interns are required to compete and present in a Final Presentation for judges, teammates, mentors, and managers. I am deeply honored to represent a win for the Global Services department in the Vienna office. I really value all of the times that Ferrum classes allowed me to practice presenting; in particular, my Voice and Diction course allowed me to improve on my speech and taught me how to vocalize my thoughts. I think that was a huge advantage that helped me to do so well in the competition. In addition, I was comfortable with memorizing a script, presenting to judges, and being confident in what I was saying because of all the times, I had done that in the past to prepare for an Enactus competition. I feel incredibly thankful to have the Enactus program at our school and to all the professors that give students the opportunity to present in their classrooms.

I found throughout the ten weeks that I was using many skills that I had been taught in various courses at Ferrum College. For example, I was able to hear solutions to problems and deduct whether their solutions were offering a valid and sound argument. I was able to add this value because of the methods that I was taught in my philosophy courses (The Human Condition, Ethics, and Metaphysics). Next, I was able to relay my thoughts in a clear and effective manner because I was taught how to write a constructive and organized report while I was taking Business Communications, English Composition and Research, and Business Finance.

The ten weeks that I spent in northern Virginia being a part of the SAP iXp program, went by very fast but are something I will never forget. I take away the skills of knowing how to work with different tools, how to proactively collaborate in a business environment, and how to evaluate my work in a critical and productive way. (In addition, I found a new passion for learning about a project management method called Agile.)

During the tenth week of the iXp program, I was offered to extend my position as a DoD Implementation Specialist with SAP Concur until the end of December as a remote part-time employee. I have accepted this incredible offer and will be working ten hours a week during my senior year while continuing to compete for Ferrum tennis, tutor for several classes, and strive to continue to stay on the dean’s list. This shall be a fun and exciting year!

I look forward to continuing my efforts with SAP Concur and for completing a Bachelor’s of Science degree with a Business Administration major including concentrations in Management and Finance with a minor in Philosophy from Ferrum College.

Activities & Honors

• Dean’s List since Freshman Year (2015-2017)
• Sophomore of the Year (2016-2017)
• Captain of Admissions Ambassadors
• Captain of Women’s Tennis Team
• President of Enactus Academic Team
• PAL Tutor for two courses (THA222 Voice and Diction and PHI211 Ethics)

Jevontè Blount '18: My Experience as a Governor's Fellow

This summer, I was part of Governor Northam’s first class of Governor’s Fellows since he took office in January 2018. I was assigned under the Secretary of Natural Resources and worked with the Secretary and Deputy Secretaries on various projects, including one regarding coastal resiliency. 

Throughout the program we had daily brown bag lunches with key figures in Governor Northam’s Cabinet. It was an opportunity to learn about the responsibilities of each department, the agencies they oversee, to soak in as much information as we could about their journey from where they started to where they are now. 

Jevontè Blount '18 (right) with Governor Ralph Northam. Jack Mayer photograph.

My major project that I spent majority of my time working on was with initiating and presenting a plan to the Governor’s Chief of Staff to improve recycling within state buildings like the Patrick Henry Building.

Towards the end of the program the Fellows had a policy project competition. This took five major problems impacting the Commonwealth and the United States and we had to find a feasible solution. My group was given the topic of rising student debt crisis. We won!

Jevontè Blount '18 (far right) with his policy project competition teammates. Jack Mayer photograph.

About Jevontè Blount ’18:

Jevontè Blount ’18 was a 2018 Governor’s Fellow, one of only 22 rising college seniors, graduating seniors, or graduate students from across the state named to the prestigious program by Virginia Governor Ralph Northam. Blount, from Hampton, Virginia, graduated from Ferrum College this past May with a Bachelor of Science in Political Science. During his tenure at Ferrum College, he was in the Ferrum College Honor Society, on the Dean’s list, and served as Ferrum College Residence Hall Association president. Blount now in studying in the Master in Public Administration program at Virginia Commonwealth University. 

About the Governor's Fellows Program:

(https://www.governor.virginia.gov/newsroom/all-releases/2018/february/headline-822716-en.html)

"Governor Chuck Robb created this prestigious program in 1982. Since then, it has offered college students a hands-on opportunity to learn about state government at the top level. Previous members have gone on to pursue careers in various levels of state and federal government, each using their skills acquired during their Fellows experience.

Fellows are given the opportunity to cultivate and sharpen leadership skills by taking on various tasks and projects. The Fellows also learn from special guest speakers from the administration and take field trips across the Commonwealth."

My Experience as a “Student Upstander” at the Lemkin Summit to End Genocide and Mass Atrocities 2018

By Ricardo Pierre '18

With Honor Society high schoolers from Asbury Park, NJ

Genocide is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as, the deliberate killing of a large group of people, especially those of a particular ethnic group or nation. The neologism was first coined by Raphael Lemkin, a lawyer of Polish and Jewish decent. Lemkin devised genocide from genos a Greek word for tribe or race and -cide a Latin word that means killing.

On Saturday, February 10 through Monday, February 12, 2018, I attended the Lemkin Summit to End Genocide and Mass Atrocities, a conference named in Raphael Lemkin’s honor. The conference took place at American University and featured a panel of experts who spoke on topics ranging from tools the U.S. government can use to prevent and respond to genocide and mass atrocities, to financial tools to counter the nexus of conflict and corruption, and the current dynamics in various conflicts areas. The Lemkin Summit allowed me the opportunity to venture into a topic about which I was previously not privy.

While at the conference, a Congolese woman named Neema Namadamu spoke about how the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo have experienced the phenomenon of the resource curse known as the paradox of plenty. The paradox of plenty refers to resource-rich countries that fail to reap the full benefits of their natural resource wealth. Countries that have an abundance of natural resources tend to engage in conflict at a higher rate and are largely authoritarianist nations. Issues like this and many more where discussed at the conference. I also heard chilling stories from citizens of Darfur, Sudan recalling the sounds of gunshots as they were falling asleep and when they would rise in morning, stories that were all too familiar to citizens of fellow conflict nations.

With Enough Project founder, John Prendergast

During my time at the conference, I also had a one-on-one conversation with John Prendergast, the founder of the Enough Project, which is an initiative to end genocide and crimes against humanity. The Enough Project was the program that provided me the opportunity to attend the Summit as a Student Upstander. John told me about the indefinable horrors he’s seen with his own eyes and relayed to me the massive role the United States can play in helping countries like Congo.

My final day in Washington, D.C. was spent lobbying to Senators and Congressmen from my home state of New Jersey. As a group leader, I was accompanied by a group of Honor Society high schoolers from Asbury Park, NJ, and we worked to get cosponsors on two policies. The U.S. is regarded as the most influential nation in the world. By taking a tougher stance against countries that engage in mass atrocities, America can help put an end to corruption and human rights violations. My weekend at the Lemkin Summit gave me an immense knowledge on the past and continuing political climate that African nations are in and I look forward to engaging in philanthropic efforts in the future.

My group at NJ Representative Chris Smith's Office in Washington, D.C.

"Breakfast Buddies" Mentoring Program Encourages Academic Excellence and Good Citizenship for Fifth Grade Boys

By Tom Steele, Director of Academic Initiatives for Athletics

Ferrum College students (back row, left to right) Justyn Forbes, Lawrence Baranski, and Ricardo Pierre, are "Breakfast Buddies" for this group of fifth grade boys at Lee M. Waid Elementary School.

It’s Thursday morning, 7:00 AM. Most Ferrum College students are just stirring or still asleep. However, members of Ferrum’s Brother4Brother mentoring program are on their way to Lee M. Waid Elementary School in Rocky Mount to be “Breakfast Buddies” with a group of 5th grade boys.

Now in its third year, the Breakfast Buddies program is designed to provide a positive, male role model for the fifth graders and encourage them to excel in academics and as school citizens. “The Breakfast Buddies program has been an integral component in developing social skills for our fifth grade students,” said Sheree Thomas, the school counselor at Lee M. Waid who hosts Breakfast Buddies. “The positive interaction brought to the table by Ferrum's highly motivated and well-mannered men of standards leaves a positive impression on our youth,” continued Thomas.

During each Breakfast Buddies program, the College students share breakfast with the fifth graders, talk about the topics of the day, and spend positive time together. Sometimes, the Brother4Brother mentors help the young men who get into trouble at school get back on track. According to Ferrum senior Ricardo Pierre, the outreach is important because, “I am able to offer them a judgement-free ear and share with the guys things I wish I knew at their age.”

Breakfast Buddies is focused on men learning to share with each other and holding each other accountable. “Breakfast Buddies is a great chance to uplift young men and to be someone they can talk to,” said junior Lawrence Baranski.

In addition, encouragement is always a focus at the breakfast meetings. Junior Justyn Forbes said, “I think that it is good to give these kids some encouragement from college students to do well in school.”

As a bonus, some of the fifth graders in the Breakfast Buddies program are now serving as mentors for kindergarteners at Lee M. Waid. This is a point of pride for Baranski. “We are showing them that even they can become a mentor to younger men,” he said.

Not self, but others. This is the Ferrum College way.

Ferrum College: A place full of magical experiences. A place where I have found a family.

By Angela Patricia Velasquez Hoyos, Fulbright Spanish Language Assistant 2017-2018

My name is Angela P. Velasquez Hoyos. I was born in Anserma Caldas, Colombia, but during the last 10 years, I have lived in Pereira, Risaralda which is located in the coffee region in Colombia.

I hold a Bachelor degree in English language Teaching from Technological University of Pereira and a Master Degree from Caldas University in Manizales Caldas Colombia. I have spent six years teaching English and research which is something that I really enjoy doing. I am a curious person who loves reading, hiking, listening to music, traveling, and talking to people.

When I first knew I was going to Ferrum College, I got very excited because I heard great comments about people from Virginia. To be honest, the comments were not enough to describe what I have experienced in this wonderful campus - love, kindness, and true friendship - this is my international family I will never forget. It has been five months since my arrival to Ferrum and I have not had any day in which I have not felt excitement to explore the campus.

In the fall semester 2017, I had great students in my Spanish 101 class. It was very rewarding to see the progress they made throughout the semester. In this spring semester, I am teaching Spanish 102, and conversation. I hope that my students enjoy the classes as much as I do.

Regarding my experience at Ferrum, I think it has been amazing. I am surprised because I am doing some sports that I never did in Colombia. I have played racquetball, I have joined the Zumba and the yoga classes in the YMCA, and I have gone hiking with Ferrum Outdoors. I definitely won’t be the same person when I travel back to Colombia. There are many things I have learned, thanks to this experience.

This semester, I am looking forward to showing you some cultural aspects of my country. You may see more of my photographs here.