An amazing man, called Jim McEachern, wrote an article entitled “What you will one day be, you are now becoming” in the 1960s. I heard about it when I initially was selected for the Southwestern Advantage Program in November 1991, and it made a real impact on me. Since starting with Southwestern in 1991, I am so grateful that I … Read More
Erica Ohrazda – A life changing experience with Southwestern Advantage
Erica Ohrazda – University of Washington If I were to speak of my Southwestern Advantage internship experience in short, I would say that there are few other things that I’ve done and will do in my life, that has changed my life as much as my experience with Southwestern. There are many things that I am grateful for in life; one … Read More
Bud Holmes – Encouraging my daughter to succeed on her own
Bud Holmes – Bud Holmes is a former District Attorney and also a former sports agent. His clients included the late great Walter Payton. Bud’s daughter Mary Lee began with Southwestern Advantage and participated in the program for four years. My daughter, Mary Lee Holmes asked me to write my thoughts on the influences the Southwestern Advantage experience has had on her … Read More
Justin Mangen – Challenges or Opportunities to Grow?
Justin Mangen – Univ. of Wisconsin –Oshkosh I was a freshman at Univ. of Wisconsin –Oshkosh when I heard about the Southwestern Advantage summer internship program. I filled out a summer work questionnaire in class one day because I needed a summer job. I went to the informational meeting and all the benefits jumped out at me. Money? I was … Read More
Kitty Clemens – Southwestern Advantage, a company that cares
Kitty Clemens – Kitty has had three children work with Southwestern Advantage I could write you all about the things we have seen happening in our daughter, Charlotte, since she started working for Southwestern. I could tell you that we, as parents, were not too keen on what she got herself into at the time. This is about 9 years … Read More
Chanel Sedberry – Trained from the womb
Chanel Sedberry – Biola University Book sellin’ is in my blood. That’s a weird statement, I know, but I’ve heard book selling stories since before I can remember. My mother sold books for 7 summers with Southwestern back in the early 80’s and it was an experience that she has carried throughout her life. Somehow, my whole life, she was … Read More
Jon Pinches – Stubborn vs Coachable
Jon Pinches – Arizona State University I first heard about the Southwestern Advantage Summer Program after I filled out one of those little surveys in one of my business classes at Arizona State University. Actually, I apparently filled out 3 or 4 of them before I finally got a call from my future student manager, Monique Flores. I was a … Read More
Manny Vargas – Making myself recession-proof in the Southwestern Internship!
Manny Vargas – University of Florida It was Fall 2002 when I first heard about the Southwestern Advantage summer work program. I was walking out of my Architectural Design class, when a classmate brought up the old “what we did last summer” conversation. I told him about my glorious summer before college interning for free at a firm in Tampa Bay … Read More
Chris Samuels – The Good, the Bad, and the Worthwhile
The Good, the Bad, and the Worthwhile Chris Samuels, University of North Carolina I will never forget the day that I set off to Glencoe, MN for my first summer in the Southwestern Advantage program. I had never been off the east coast and I was amazed at the difference as I started to experience the Midwest. Pulling into Glencoe, I … Read More
Rose Sheen – Los Angeles Girl Arrives in Pennsylvania for Her Southwestern Internship
All of our authors would love comments on their stories! So take a minute and add your thoughts. Los Angeles Girl Arrives in Pennsylvania Rose Sheen – Notre Dame I was born and raised in a little place called Los Angeles my entire life and I’m a city girl through and through. When my roommates and I arrived in our … Read More
Zac DeVries – Make lemonade out of your summer!
Zac DeVries – Grand Valley State University I think one of the funniest and most endearing things about your first Southwestern Advantage summer is not only what it reveals about you, but also WHEN it reveals it. My first summer I was working in North Branch, MN a town only slightly larger than your high school. I remember that week I … Read More
Kevin Hoffberg – Realizing my son was becoming an adult
Kevin Hoffberg – Kevin’s son Jake worked with Southwestern Advantage while at Indiana University Does any parent dream about his son or daughter selling books? For a living? For a summer? At All? It certainly wasn’t on my radar when my son Jake called me to tell me that he was going to spend the summer, somewhere he didn’t yet … Read More
Debbie Dawson – How a Mom’s Journey Began
Debbie Dawson – Debbie’s son Alex has worked with Southwestern Advantage 3 summers Debbie currently works at Ferris State University where she is the Director of the School of Computer, Electrical, Energy, and Survey Systems. “Mom, Mom… I have a possible summer internship!” “Way Cool! What is it?” “Sales! And they need you to be part of the interview.” With … Read More
Nate Wolverton – A Problem Solving Mindset
Nate Wolverton – Michigan State University Oh first summer. I’m writing this at 7:45 am in a Starbucks in downtown Chicago before I go into work for a company I just started with and love so far! “You can’t always get what you want” by the Rolling Stones is playing and I can’t help but laugh because of how relevant … Read More
Ashley Zandbergen – Growth and perspective
Ashley Zandbergen – Grand Valley State University My recruitment was a little unorthodox . I first heard about the Southwestern Advantage when my twin sister first participated. I thought she was crazy at first when she said she would be moving to Minnesota for the entire summer to sell books to families! Then, as she was telling me about it, … Read More
Matt Baumgartner – A shy kid breaks out
Matt Baumgartner – University of Maryland I heard about Southwestern Advantage at the University of Maryland. I grew up in an over-protective environment. Part of this was due to my parents, but part of it was also self-imposed. I was definitely the quiet/shy kid, never quite fitting in nor able to get comfortable. I had always gotten straight A’s, but … Read More
Danielle Roos – Extraordinarily difficult, extraordinarily rewarding
Danielle Roos – Dordt College I was a sophomore at Dordt College when I first heard about Southwestern Advantage. A girl I knew, Jessi Rieken, mentioned to me that she had a job the past summer where she had made $10,000. I was immediately intrigued, as I had to pay my own way through private college and had made, let … Read More
Josh Falkiewicz – Willing to pay a price
Josh Falkiewicz – Michigan State University I heard about Southwestern Advantage at Michigan State. During the interview process I was never really skeptical, although my Dad seemed to have reserved enough skepticism for the two of us. I remember my first day like it was yesterday. My roommate Maurice dropped me off and screamed “IT’S GONNA BE A GREAT DAY” and … Read More
Will Hemmert – Not exactly by the book!
Will Hemmert – Central Michigan University It was the career fair at Central Michigan University in the spring of 2010. That’s where I met Maurice Howell, a corporate recruiter for Southwestern, and we talked for a few minutes. He told me about the program and offered me a chance to interview. After meeting with him a few times, I decided … Read More
Antoinette Sedillo – Getting REAL experience
Antoinette Sedillo – New Mexico State University When I was in high school I was the type of person who never tried anything new unless I knew for sure that I was going to be good at it. As you can imagine, that attitude kept me from trying out many new things. A week after my 19th birthday, I got … Read More
Haley Price – Today is the Best Day of My Life
Haley Price – University of Texas When asked about my proudest accomplishment or my most valuable experience – at the top of my list, no doubt about it, is “selling books door-to-door in the Southwestern Advantage Internship”. There is no better way to catapult oneself into emotional and mental maturity than through going door-to-door. Right around Spring Break of my freshman … Read More
Daniel Cumming – Coachability
Daniel Cumming – University of Richmond Everyone has a different experience working with Southwestern Advantage, and I think it has everything to do with who the student manager they work with is. I had one of the most eccentric and without a doubt the most caring student manager in Chris Sica. When I was a sophomore at University of Richmond … Read More
Jill Poston – Set yourself apart
Jill Poston – Clemson University I first heard about Southwestern Advantage when I was growing up, because my dad actually sold books in 1979-1982. I heard stories of him selling in Nebraska, Iowa, and Texas, and thought, “That sounds interesting/slightly weird.” I met Spencer Hays, the Executive Chairman of the Board for Southwestern, at one of my dad’s national meetings … Read More
Morgan Franke – A new way of thinking
Morgan Franke – Michigan State University I always knew that after I graduated high school that I would never spend another summer in Canton, Michigan. So when I got the opportunity to work with Southwestern Advantage, I didn’t think twice. Little did I know that what I would experience would change my outlook on everything in my life. The things … Read More
Beatrix Tam – The last minute decision
Beatrix Tam – University of British Columbia I was sitting in the library studying for my very last final during the second last week of finals when someone (I forgot who) handed me a summer work questionnaire. And that was the beginning of my Southwestern Advantage summer experience. I am truly grateful that I filled out that survey and Niv, … Read More
Nancy Davidson – It’s all about people!
Nancy Davidson – Wake Forest University My first Southwestern Advantage Summer was hands down the hardest thing I have ever done but also the most rewarding. I heard about the program from my cousin and thought “If he can be successful at a program like this, then I know I can too.” However, I already had a summer job lined … Read More
Jordan Roberts – The Southwestern family internship
Jordan Roberts – Auburn University My experience selling with Southwestern Advantage started off quite differently from most in that both my mom, my dad, my brother, and my cousin had sold books. I knew it was not a scam, and that it was an experience in which a person supposedly worked their butt off, but received both monetary and character … Read More
Mark Silvestro – A parent’s concerns about the Southwestern Internship
Mark Silvestro – University of Maryland During my American Government class in the large lecture hall of Maryland’s Tydings Hall, I quickly filled out a yellow questionnaire that had something to do with hearing about summer work. Honestly, I wasn’t paying attention. My then-girlfriend at the time, Lisa, was sitting next to me. She was more interesting than class and … Read More
Emily Griepentrog – Finding the competitor within
Emily Griepentrog – Finding the competitor within I became friends with this really cool kid, Abel Gunn, my Freshman year of college in Wisconsin. Two months into our first semester he told me about this crazy summer thing where he moved across the country, lived with some awesome college kids, and raced to the shower every morning. It sounded like … Read More
Matt Seitz – More than the money
Matt Seitz – Asbury University I didn’t sell books with Southwestern Advantage for the same reason that all the other people at my college did. I went to a small private liberal arts college that was very expensive and so a lot of students heard you could make $8,000 in a summer and really needed to pay for school. Well … Read More
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