Olivia Feehan

Majors: Marketing, PR & Strategic Communication

Channel Marketing at Milwaukee Tool

How did you learn about this internship opportunity?

I learned about this internship opportunity through Handshake, a recruiter reached out to me and I applied, went through the interview process, and was fortunate enough to be offered a position, so I interned there last summer!

How has your internship helped build your skills and clarify your career goals? How did being a Liberal Arts student at Purdue apply to your internship?

This internship helped me build my skillset by teaching me to work under pressure. I had a lot of work to do with short deadlines so it also helped with my time management skills. Being a Liberal Arts student at Purdue helped me get through this internship because I was able to deeply connect with everyone I worked with, and even became friends with a lot of them and guided me to think about my long-term career goals.

What is a piece of advice you would give someone in your major looking for an internship?

My biggest advice is: don’t give up, even if the process feels overwhelming. I applied to so many different places and at times started to lose hope, but eventually the right opportunity came along when I least expected it. Make sure you’re checking your Handshake emails, applying consistently, and keeping an open mind. Another important piece is to get involved inside and outside of the classroom—professors, student organizations, and networking opportunities can all be valuable resources that help you get your foot in the door.

What key responsibilities or tasks have you taken on during your internship?

Throughout my internship, one of my biggest responsibilities was to do research within the company to see how we could improve some of the biggest parts of what makes Milwaukee Tool so successful. To be successful with this task, I had to network with a lot of different branches within the company and go a little bit out of my comfort zone to make sure I received valuable data by talking to 30+ employees.

In what ways has the College of Liberal Arts at Purdue University supported your internship journey? How has your participation in our job-ready program specifically aided your professional development?

The College of Liberal Arts helped support my internship journey in many ways. It gave me hope of being able to successfully complete my internship. I had never lived in another state before so the award helped me find that stability when I moved for the summer. The job-ready program was an important part of my professional development. It helped me build confidence in how I present myself, refine my career goals, and learn practical tools I could use during my internship. Being a CLA student has meant having a strong support system of faculty, staff, and peers who want to see me succeed—not just academically, but professionally too. That sense of community and preparation really stood out during my experience.

Could you highlight a standout aspect of your experience in this program that you find particularly noteworthy?

One standout aspect of this program was how it gave me the resources to take a leap into something completely new—living in another state and working in a professional environment I had never experienced before. The support I received from CLA made me feel like I wasn’t doing it alone. That encouragement, along with the practical preparation, gave me the confidence to dive into my internship and make the most of it.