Mentors and Networking with Peers at Your Internship

by Mabel Shiu

A Summer to Remember
During our lunch dates, my mentor gave me professional advice on effective communication and connected me with managers in different departments so I could explore my interest in having an international career. My mentor signed up to be a Cardinal Health mentor because she wants my internship to be as amazing as hers was when she was in college. She explained how back then there weren’t as many structured events and developed programs, but learning about her interests/disinterests and hanging out with interns (soon-to-be lifelong friends) made her summer unforgettable. “I’ll never forget that summer”.

"Networking” with Peers
From talking to an IU alumni finishing up their first year in a Cardinal Health rotational program, I learned how important it is to always keep the future in mind. In addition to his internship experience which was similar to my mentors, he shared his perspective on “networking” with my peers. He currently works full-time with over a dozen interns from his previous summer. Understanding that I can’t be best friends with all 80+ interns, he encouraged me to at least get to know everyone because I’ll never know who I’ll end up working with in the future.

* The views expressed in this blog post are those of an intern and does not necessarily represent Cardinal Health.