Why I Chose Sodexo After My Internship
Learn more about our former interns turned full-time employees and why they decided to start their careers at Sodexo.
Accepting your first full-time position is exciting but can also be a tough decision to make. That’s why internships are important for students to get a feel for different types of positions and companies – to figure out what they do and don’t like.
We asked a handful of former interns, who are now full-time employees, what it was like to intern with Sodexo and how it helped them decide what they wanted to do after graduation. Check out their stories!
Emma Pronko, Accountant, Credit Card Operations
My internship with Sodexo highly exceeded any expectations that I had. Despite being a 10-week program, my hiring manager had prepared multiple projects for me across different aspects of the company. This allowed me to be exposed to various departments and get a better understanding of how the Buffalo Service Center supported both the units and the company. Everything that I was able to learn throughout my internship gave me a strong foundation and prepared me exceptionally for my full-time position.
I had the opportunity to come back to Sodexo between the time my internship had ended to when I was full time hired after my graduation. This really helped make my decision clear that I wanted to remain with the company in a full-time position. Sodexo set a standard for me that I quickly found myself comparing other positions and company culture to and I learned quickly that I wasn’t going to find what I envision at any other place besides Sodexo. My internship showed me that working for Sodexo would give me the same large company feel while also allowing me to still create close and personable relationships with my coworkers like you would in a smaller accounting business.
Devon Hall, Accountant – FSS Operations Accounting
The opportunity given to me last summer was not only my first chance to experience the day-to-day operations within accounting, but my first in an office setting. Through my experience interning, I was given a wealth of information provided by professionals with decades of experience between them and was truly put in a position to succeed from the moment I stepped into the office. I was able to apply the accounting principles I learned in school, build on that knowledge by learning the intricacies of contract analytics, and was able to work on a project team to help further develop how the team uses FIORI. Choosing Sodexo after graduating was an easy choice, as I was familiar with the positive work environment I’d be in and truly see an opportunity to both start and grow my career here.
Ariana Jones-Allen, Environmental Services Operational Manager – New England Baptist Hospital
Sodexo has an excellent reputation for providing quality services for a better life for individuals and institutions worldwide. As a budding sociologist emphasizing public health, Sodexo provided an opportunity to intersect the two disciplines in a way that would allow me to be an agent of change in real-time. Being an intern with Sodexo enabled me to build upon the knowledge and skills I have obtained during my college experience and bring a social science perspective to the industry.
I was placed as an Environmental Services (EVS) intern at Women and Infants Hospital in Rhode Island, and I couldn't have been happier. The entire team was extremely welcoming, and my exposure to EVS management was well beyond what I expected. My team helped ensure I obtained leadership, communications, operations, and safety management training and experience through projects that bolstered my confidence and assisted me in becoming more proficient in food service and healthcare operations.
Mackenzie M. Fultz, Patient Services Manager – Penn State Health Holy Spirit
I originally found Sodexo from our recruitment program at the School of Hospitality Management at Penn State, where I graduated in 2022. I had a summer internship with Sodexo at Holy Spirit Hospital in Camp Hill, PA, in the summer of 2021. I was able to rotate through food, concierge, valet, and environmental service departments focusing on food service and helping to open a new hospital. The experience I got that summer was valuable and ultimately led to me getting the management position I have now at the same hospital. The timing was perfect and going back to a facility and people that I was familiar with after graduating seemed to be the best decision for me.
Lathario Wallace, Project Manager of Facilities – Shaw University
Being involved in the intern program allowed me to gain real-world experience before graduation. It also helped me improve my time management and gave me responsibilities that I would need for a full-time position. I was able to learn new skills in the fields of carpentry and plumbing along with working with the maintenance software that produces service requests. I chose Sodexo after graduation because I felt like they gave me a chance when others wouldn't, they also gave me the tools I needed and prepared me for life after university. The work environment and employees make you feel like you belong so that made for an easy transition. Another thing that led to me choosing Sodexo was that there are so many departments and opportunities for advancement, for example, Sodexo has food departments, Grounds/Landscaping, Finance, Facilities Management, and Internet Technology just to name a few.
Christian Parks, Facilities Engineering Manager – The University of Tampa
I interned with Sodexo because it is a company I grew up around and I had seen and heard of all the great things the company has accomplished. Through my intern program, I experienced a lot of the different sides of Sodexo through hands-on experience working on various projects assigned to me. I bounced around doing HVAC, electrical, plumbing, locksmithing, and more. But throughout my whole experience, I learned a lot from the people around me who were more than willing to answer any questions I had along the way. Most of all, I enjoyed myself and was happy doing everything that I did which left me wanting to come back for more.
Being happy is important to me and when I’m able to wake up in the morning and look forward to heading to work that itself is a great feeling that Sodexo was able to provide for me. I chose Sodexo after graduation because I saw it as a great opportunity to expand my knowledge and be a part of something much greater than myself with a great pay structure and amazing benefits—the sky is the limit within this organization.