First Impressions of an Intern: A Sodexo Future Leader Shares Her Experience
By Darla Mayse, Senior Recruiter

Maggie Criser

The Sodexo Future Leaders Summer Internship is hosting approximately 60 interns at various Sodexo accounts across the country. The disciplines range from Food Service and Facilities to Environmental Services and Corporate Citizenship. To get a glimpse of how the internship is progressing, we reached out to one of the interns, Maggie Criser, who is completing a Food Service Management internship at a healthcare account, The Regional Medical Center in Memphis, TN.

Please tell us a little about your background.

"I am a senior Hospitality and Tourism Management major at the University of North Carolina Greensboro with a Hotel and Restaurant Operations Concentration and a Business Administration Minor. I am a member of NSMH, the National Society of Minorities in Hospitality. I am also involved in the Student Government Association as a member of the House. While in school, I work full-time as an assistant pastry chef at a small bakery in Greensboro, North Carolina. I have been working in the food service industry doing everything from fast food to fine dining, waiting tables to cooking, and everything in between since I was 16 years old and love it!”

Why did you choose to pursue an internship with Sodexo?

"Before attending the NSMH National Conference this past February, I had never heard of Sodexo. During the conference, I attended the networking suites where members could meet and socialize with representatives of different companies offering internships and employment. I walked into the Sodexo suite because I was curious about what they had to offer and met Debbie Oryszak (Sodexo Senior Recruiter). She was extremely nice and helpful and answered all of my questions. We just seemed to hit it off! I asked Debbie if she was taking any appointments for interviews being held the next day at the Career Fair. Unfortunately, there weren’t any slots available, so Debbie pulled me to the side and did my interview on the spot — on a Friday night at 10pm! The rest is kind of history.”

What has been the most memorable experience of your internship so far?

"One of the most memorable experiences of my internship so far has been to see the large volume of food prepared each day and the size of the vessels used to prepare it. Most of my experience has been in restaurants. Working at this account has definitely been an eye-opening experience to large-volume food production. I have gained experience in creating production sheets, ordering supplies and completing inventory, to name a few. Working with Gary Lester, Operations Manager, has been a great experience. Mr. Lester has been so patient helping me learn my way around the hospital, getting to know everyone, and training me. It has definitely made a big difference having such a great boss. Every day we hit the ground running.”

Why do you think that it is important for students to have an internship while they are in college?

"I feel that it is important for students to have internships while in college because of the invaluable training and [hands-on] experience that come along with it. For example, you may have the best recipe for chocolate soufflé, but if you have never held a whisk before, the recipe doesn’t do you any good. Your college education is like the recipe; it holds all the answers and it’s your platform. The internship is the baking. It’s the hands-on training and experience that complements your education and prepares you for today’s workforce. Together, with your education and experience, you, as an individual, are more marketable to employers in an ever-growing and competitive job market.”

You can learn more about the Sodexo Future Leaders Internship here.

You can learn more about opportunities for students at Sodexo here.