Popping open a new career: PepsiCo internship leads to full-time job opportunity

It’s not common for undergraduate students to have a full-time job offer in hand before they receive their diploma — but that’s exactly what happened for Joseph Espinoza, a senior Arizona State University student.

After leaving California and transferring from California State University Northridge, Espinoza and his family moved to Arizona where he discovered supply chain management at the prestigious W. P. Carey School of Business. It was there that Espinoza found an internship opportunity at PepsiCo that would change his outlook on his future career.

“I knew coming into W. P. Carey, the lament of how important internships are over the summer,” Espinoza said. “So, I was always searching through different job sites, LinkedIn, Handshake and a couple of other resources that we provide here, and I saw PepsiCo.”

While looking through the assortment of PepsiCo internship opportunities, Espinoza found one that perfectly matched his major. After a few months' wait to hear back on his application, Espinoza was hired and began the summer internship based in the Pepsi Beverage North America division of the company.

“There were many functions. I could have been on a logistics team, a warehouse team, customer integration, working at their headquarters located in Texas, New York or Chicago. And I was placed in the field here in Phoenix,” he said. “Actually, I was right at the Pepsi Bottling Group, a bottling plant right by Sky Harbor, right by ASU. I was really happy to stay home during the summer.”

His role in the PepsiCo supply chain planning team allowed him to get firsthand experience in his field of study.

“I shadowed many people, in the different sections of our company,” Espinoza said. “And worked with the supply planning team to understand the mind of a supply planner and what goes on and how much cross-functional work is needed.”

“That's one of the main things that I learned, that we always have to work with other people too, because supply chain is all about collaboration and either upstream or downstream,” he added.

He said that his internship experience impacted where he saw himself headed after graduation day.

“It furthered how much I do want to be in supply chain because it's a lot of problem solving,” Espinoza said. “And that's one thing that I want to do. I want to go into a company and field within supply chain where I can be a problem solver and enable change.”

Originally a business management major, Espinoza found a passion for supply chain management and switched his major after taking SCM 300, Global Supply Operations.

“A lot of the classes here at ASU have helped me,” he said. “Everything that I've learned through here, really, I applied during my time at PepsiCo.”

Impressed with Espinoza’s performance as a summer intern, PepsiCo offered him a full-time opportunity that would begin shortly after he graduates from ASU this fall.

“It's definitely one of the best internship programs, they really take care of you,” he said. “And they really want you to learn, they don't tell you to do something small, they give you a big problem. It’s a lot of problem solving.”

Espinoza shared his words of advice for other Sun Devils who may be looking for an internship or career opportunity.

“Definitely start, and in the beginning, in your first year even, start super early because that's one thing I didn't do. You're never too early to start getting experience,” Espinoza said. “I think that's the most important. And just be a sponge. When you get that internship and you go into a new company, ask any questions that you have, never feel embarrassed.”

For students interested in learning about internship and career opportunities, head over to the ASU Career Services website.