Ross BBUS members on company visit
Finding a summer internship is a defining part of the junior year experience at the Ross School of Business. During that period, I was applying to roles, refining my resume, and trying to navigate a process that felt both exciting and uncertain. Like many students, I didn’t know exactly where I would end up.
I signed up for the Chicago Trek through the Black Business Undergraduate Society (BBUS), an organization where I served on the executive board. I saw it as a chance to support my organization and learn more about different industries. I didn’t expect it to directly shape where I would spend my summer.
“A SMALL PUSH” THAT MADE A BIG IMPACT
Like many treks at Ross, the trip was designed to bring students into professional spaces in a more immersive way than traditional networking events. Over a few days, we visited five companies in various industries: United Airlines, Ernst & Young, Accenture, Bain & Company, and PGIM. Each visit offered a different perspective, but Accenture stood out to me as one of my favorite visits.
Later, we attended a dinner with McDonald’s executives, which shifted the tone of the experience. Prior to this, we were only visiting companies’ corporate offices, but this dinner was in a private room at a restaurant downtown. Unlike the structured office visits earlier in the day, this setting felt more personal. I ended up having one of my strongest conversations with a woman at my table, a Senior Manager in Global Cybersecurity, with whom I naturally connected. When I told her I was interested in the internship program, she didn’t just nod and move on, she encouraged me. More than that, she pushed me to take action. She suggested that I go introduce myself to one of the women helping run the internship program and express my interest directly.
That moment mattered. It was a small push, but it gave me the confidence to step out of my comfort zone. I took her advice, introduced myself, and started a conversation that I probably wouldn’t have initiated otherwise. We also talked about the internship manager’s own career, what she liked about working at McDonald’s, how she navigated her path, and what made the company stand out to her. Hearing her perspective made the company feel less like a brand and more like a place where people genuinely enjoyed working.
McDonald’s Executive dinner attendees
LESSONS FROM BEING A BBUS MEMBER
I wasn’t very familiar with Accenture before the trek. This made the experience feel like a perfect example of what the trip was meant to do, which was to expand my perspective and introduce me to new possibilities. The office itself reflected the culture: it was open, collaborative, and energetic. The tour guide was so lively, you could tell she really loved working there and I enjoyed hearing all the fun facts about the building. But what made the experience meaningful was the panel they hosted. Instead of only hearing from employees early in their career, they included professionals at different stages of their careers. Hearing from someone just starting out alongside someone more seasoned made the path feel more real and attainable. It gave me a clearer picture of what growth within a company could actually look like.
Looking back, I realized that BBUS had been preparing me for moments like that long before the trek. As an underclassman and later as an e-board member, I learned how to network, how to present myself in professional settings, and even how to adapt something as simple as how I dress depending on the environment. More importantly, I learned how to ask questions that go beyond surface-level conversations. Instead of sticking to “What do you do?”, I found myself asking things like, “What made you choose this company?” or “What has kept you here?” and “What do you actually enjoy about your role day to day?” Those kinds of questions led to more honest answers and gave me a better sense of the culture, not just the job description. So even though networking can feel intimidating, I didn’t feel unprepared. I knew how to start conversations, how to listen, and how to turn a brief interaction into something more meaningful. That foundation made it easier to be present in the moment and take advantage of opportunities as they came.
What stands out just as much as the professional experiences, though, is the sense of community that defined the trip. Some of the most memorable moments happened outside of company visits, such as bowling together, exploring Chicago, eating dinner as a group, and even the bus rides between stops. On the ride back to Ann Arbor, we stopped at Chick-fil-A, and what could have been just another quick meal turned into more time spent talking, laughing, and connecting. Those in-between moments mattered. I got to know people in BBUS that I hadn’t spent much time with before, and those relationships made the experience feel bigger than just a recruiting trip. It felt like being part of a greater community.
BBUS Alumni Dinner
A COMMUNITY THAT MATTERS
When I later secured my summer internship with the McDonald’s U.S. People Team, I realized the trek had played a meaningful role in that outcome. While I had already applied, the experience helped turn that application into a real connection.
Looking back, the biggest takeaway isn’t just that the trek helped me get an internship, it’s that it showed me how much community can shape opportunity. The experience wasn’t defined by one moment, but by a series of conversations, meaningful moments, and shared experiences along the way. What started as a trip to support my organization became something that helped define my path forward.
Kendyll Martin is a BBA student at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business, originally from Detroit, MI. At Michigan, she has combined her interests in business and community through her roles as Vice President of membership for the Black Business Undergraduate Society, Community Service Co-Chair for Sister2Sister, Student Engagement Coordinator at Trotter Multicultural Center, and BBA Student Ambassador. Outside the classroom, Kendyll interned with McDonald’s on the U.S. People Team, and she also works in real estate to promote equitable housing opportunities in Detroit. She’s passionate about using business as a force for inclusion and empowerment, and hopes to build a career at the intersection of people, culture, and strategy. After graduation, she will begin her career with McDonald’s on the U.S. People Team.
DON’T MISS: GOING BLUE: ROOTED IN COMMUNITY – MY JOURNEY TO CONFIDENCE AT ROSS AND GOING BLUE: EMBRACING MY GLOBAL EXPERIENCE
© Copyright 2026 Poets & Quants. All rights reserved. This article may not be republished, rewritten or otherwise distributed without written permission. To reprint or license this article or any content from Poets & Quants, please submit your request HERE.
