Thursday, July 16, 2015
by Robert Lowery, CWU Director Of Content Development

ELLENSBURG, Wash. - India Matheson just did it. The Central Washington University senior is one of a highly select group of students to receive a full time, paid summer internship at Nike's world headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon.

A native of Lake Forest Park, Matheson, a business administration major, was among just one percent of students selected for an internship, from more than 23,000 that applied.

"I went through three phone interviews and countless e-mails," Matheson, a business administration major, recalls, with a laugh, about the selection process. "It was a lot of work, but it was good. When I found out [about her selection], I was so excited—I didn't believe it."

But Matheson quickly learned that being selected also meant a lot of work, individually and collectively.

"I have to create a brand new rotational job program for HR [human resources]," Matheson said. "It's a big project. I spend about 80 percent of my time on it. The most exciting part is that it is something that they actually need but don't have the staff to do it."

The other 20 percent of her time is spent working on a group project with a handful of other Nike interns.

"We're trying to increase consumption on Nike.com through product placement," Matheson explained. "We've got to come up with ideas on where to put merchandise and what goes in the 'hot spot.'"

Matheson says the internship, which will continue through August 20, provides invaluable experience and expertise gained from hands-on learning opportunities.

"I've also made a lot of friends and been in contact with a lot of influential people," she adds. "I want to keep networking while I'm here. These are connections that I can keep. They are the people I'd want to come to for advice."

Matheson knows that she'll be successful, based on what she has already learned through her CWU business courses.

"My technical knowledge is pretty sound; I know a lot about the laws and have a solid general HR knowledge from my classes," she added.

Matheson is also a member of the CWU Douglas Honors College, as well as playing for the women's basketball team. When she graduates next June, she says she would like to return to Nike, if possible, noting that the internship and contacts she's made, have helped her refine her career focus.

"When I came here I wanted to be in HR management," Matheson points out. "Since being here, I've talked to a lot of people and now I would actually like to be involved in leadership development. It's something that I'm super interested in."