Our most recent Featured Bucky Intern is Cady Dueber, a junior majoring in Food Science. She has had internships with Dean Foods and Land O’ Lakes. She grew up in White Bear Lake, Minnesota where she enjoyed playing hockey and soccer.
Q: What things did you do to prepare for getting an internship?
A: I researched companies that I was interested in working for. Interviewing the employer is just as important as the employer interviewing you. They want to make sure that you are a good fit for their company and their values, but how does the company match up with your goals and values? I also got involved in organizations related to my career goals.
Q: What did the process of finding an internship teach you about getting an actual job?
A: Connections and Networking! Using my connections that I had in the food industry was a vital role in getting my internship with Dean Foods. I was able to use them for background information on the company so that going into the interview I felt better prepared. Following my Dean Foods experience I was able to use connections that I had made there to network with Land O’Lakes. I have also learned that it is important to talk with people about their previous job experiences because not only do they know other people in the industry but they may be able to introduce you or put in a good word for you in the future.
Q: What type of student organization involvement did you pursue to enhance your resume and help improve your experience?
A: I am actively involved in the Association of Women in Agriculture (AWA), which is an organization that helps women to pursue a career in agriculture or agriculture related fields. This year I am serving as the organization Fundraising coordinator. I also participate in the Food Science Club.
Q: How did these opportunities help you in achieving your career goals?
A: Being involved with AWA has given me the opportunity to network with women in a vast majority of agriculture related positions. There is always someone who is willing to give advice or lend a helping hand. Alumni are constantly informing us of potential job opportunities and giving advice on resumes or interview tips.
Q: What did you do at your internships?
A: I was a product development intern at both positions. At Land O’Lakes I was working on developing a new product, so I was able to see the process from the product formulation, marketing, consumer testing, and plant trials. At Dean Foods I was tasked with a shelf life project for one of our major products. I had the chance to work on a variety of products from ice cream, frozen yogurt, and flavored milk beverages. I independently operated their HTST pilot plant which gave me the opportunity to transform raw ingredients into a finished product, which was a very cool experience!
Q: In what way was your internships valuable to your professional development?
A: My internships provided me with hands on experience in the field that I plan on pursuing after graduation. They allowed me to experience different ways of going about product development and to explore ways in which companies operate. My experiences have helped me to determine what I am looking for in a job experience and the values in which I want my future employer to have.
Q: What was the most important thing you learned at your internships?
A: The most important thing I have learned at my internships, besides the hands on experience that allowed me to apply the concepts that I learn in the class room, is what I am looking for in an employer.
Q: Do you feel your internship experience was important to your career development? If so, why?
A: Absolutely, it is one thing to sit in a classroom and have a concept taught to you, but to get to apply those concepts in a real life situation has been greatly valuable to my career development. I have always been a hands-on learner, and getting to see everything come to life in the work place has validated to me why I chose this career field/major. The biggest eye opener for me was in my internship at Dean Foods. They were trying to teach me what a “cooked” note is in pasteurized ice cream mix. Having never tasted ice cream mix previously I could not pick out this note. It wasn’t until I tasted chocolate milk fresh from the machine that I was able to make the connection. It was such an eye opener because I couldn’t grasp that concept in a verbal manner, but after personally experiencing it I was able to understand. After that experience I have been open to any new experience that may further my understanding of the science behind food.
Q: Who do you feel helped you most in your professional development and why?
A: Brett Tanttu, my boss at Dean Foods. Coming to him as a freshman, I did not have any background in the food industry, yet he was willing to still give me that opportunity to learn and grow. I was provided with an environment that was highly conducive to learning but yet offered a challenging food experience. My first internship gave me the confidence as a Food Science student that this was the correct path for me. Mr. Tanttu also gave me a lot of professional/career advice, especially on my resume and interviewing, tips that I still use today.
I learned something new this year, women know what we are going to get them for Valentine’s Day. I guess you could say chocolate, stuffed animals, jewelry and flowers are predictable.