Negotiating with senior vice-presidents around the globe proved an "out-of-this-world experience" for Business and Management student Emily Hall.
The 22-year-old took advantage of every opportunity during her placement year with Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), helping her land a more senior role.
Now back at De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) for her final year, Emily has secured a Frontrunner internship for the multinational company as one of its campus ambassadors.
She said her experiences have increased her confidence and made her even more motivated to get the best degree possible.
Emily said: "My role at first was as a global procurement analyst and then my mentor left and I was given the opportunity to become global category manager. This is massively higher up than you would normally get on a placement.
"I was committed and took any opportunity to improve myself. For example I would stay back to take a call from America because I knew I would learn from it.
"I had to speak to CEOs and senior vice-presidents from various companies. It pushed me out of my comfort zone but was out of this world and has given me self-belief and helped me to mature."
Supporting her throughout her year was the DMU Placement Team. Emily said: "They are amazing! You have the comfort of having the team behind you."
Emily said some of the skills learned on her course, such as group work, were directly transferrable to the workplace, while university life in general helped with time management and organisational skills.
Being promoted wasn't Emily's only achievement during her time at HPE in Bracknell. As a member of the intern committee, she helped raise £100,000 for various charities, and she also organised a women's netball team.
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Buckinghamshire-born Emily has always been keen on sport and is actively involved in the DMU Pitbulls Women's Basketball team. She said: "The social side is fantastic, like being part of a family."
The team is also really supportive of Emily, who cannot always join in as much as she'd like due to back problems.
After completing her A-levels, Emily had to defer her university place to have an operation on her spine.
Originally choosing DMU "because of the feel", she was impressed with the support from the team. "They checked if I was OK and still wanted to come and made it an easier transition for me," said Emily.
While recovering, Emily worked part-time at Waitrose, a role that included buying at head office.
"That inspired my career route," she said. "I chose Business and Management as I want a management role one day, so this course gives those skills early on as well as general business skills."
Emily now sees her degree as a job and is combing her studies with her Frontrunner role for HPE, which includes raising brand awareness so her fellow students know about placements and graduate jobs.
She added: "If you work hard, HPE will work hard for you and help you achieve whatever you want."
Posted on Monday 21 November 2016