Corporate internship and global studies inspire Dever’s career goal

Kelsey Dever '16 knows an opportunity when she sees one-but maybe that's just because she knows how to look. With the encouragement of her academic advisor, business professor Michael Hutkin, Dever applied for internships all over the country, many of them with Fortune 500 companies. A business administration major with concentrations in global business and marketing, her efforts landed her a plum internship with Shell Oil in Houston, Texas.

"My true passion is working with other cultures," Dever said, "I really want to work for a multi-national company."
A Houston resident, Dever spent three months assisting with the testing and pilot launch of CurrentC, a new mobile payment application for 14,500 Shell stations across the country. Her responsibilities included verifying and updating the stations' precise geographical locations so customers' mobile payments could be received.

"My part of the project was vital for the accuracy of my work was essential in mapping the logistics for the mobile app," Dever explained. "I was included in project meetings, prototype work, and in field testing. My input idea for the graphic design is being integrated in the point of sale logo. It's cool that what I did mattered for the launch. I am grateful for the hospitality and reception I received from the Shell Retail Project Team."

The internship was just the latest in a string of opportunities Dever has seized during her time at Roanoke. Her global interests have taken her to Germany during May Term 2013 and to London for a study-abroad experience during the 2014 fall term. There she attended the European Business School at Regent's University, where she completed five courses and was one of a few Americans in her classes.

"I wanted a global business education like no other, and I received more than I dreamed," Dever said. She learned from European and Middle Eastern professors, collaborated on multicultural group projects, and fed her passion for other cultures. In the end, she learned the importance of seeking to understand others and their culture.

Dever took business leadership classes at the Disney Institute in Florida, part of a May Intensive Learning course. She called the experience "enlightening" and "inspiring" and said it was an honor to have the opportunity to learn from a company with one of the most recognizable brands in the world.

Hutkin, who taught Dever in her favorite on-campus course, Global Management, said, "I am consistently impressed with her strength of ambition and maturity. She sets the bar for achievement and participation."

Dever credits her many of professors for helping her to succeed - their mentorship and guidance on networking, presentation skills, communication skills and generally challenging her to higher expectations.

Dever is now setting her sights on life after college. "My goal in life is to be successful, continue making the most of opportunities and remaining ever mindful of my academic foundation. That dear old Roanoke has served me well."