Name: Cleon Beckford
Year: Senior
Major: Social Policy
Minor: Economics
CFS Class: Business Field Studies
Employer: HawkPartners

The time I had in CFS during Spring Quarter was an incredibly enriching experience for me for a variety of reasons. Not only was I gaining professional experience and simulating a schedule that will be very similar to my first job after college, but I’m currently working for an organization that does similar work to the firm I will be working for full-time. HawkParters is a market research and market strategy consulting firm that specializes in qualitative, quantitative and secondary research. As an intern I’ve had the opportunity to work on several qualitative projects such as message testing and concept testing, conducted secondary research to be included in proposals, and assisted in the reporting conducted for several quantitative projects as well. These different assignments have helped me to develop my research skills and my critical thinking skills as it pertains to communicating insights to clients which will serve me very well as an incoming management consultant.

One thing that I’ve learned in my time as a CFS student is that it’s important to learn from the experiences within your workplace and to take the time to reflect. It is through taking that step back that I’ve realized the synergy between what I do now, and what I look to do in the future. Although the level of responsibility will be much different as full-time staff, I know that my work as an intern and the lessons I’ve learned while in this role will be instrumental in my future success.