Anuja Sonnad ’27 came to Methodist University from India on a whim of hope, encouraged by her advisor Minnu Paul, director of the Global Education Office (GEO) at MU, who believed in her potential. Sonnad chose MU as the place to build her future.
Anuja Sonnad ’27 came to Methodist University from India on a whim of hope, encouraged by her advisor Minnu Paul, director of the Global Education Office (GEO) at MU, who believed in her potential. Sonnad chose MU as the place to build her future.
Now a Marketing and Business Analytics major, she’s found her niche not just in the classroom, but also through hands-on work both on campus and in the Fayetteville community.
On campus, Sonnad is involved in a variety of activities (including Holi day and the annual Pangea event that showcases cultures from around the world). She also works as a content writer in the Business, Management, & Marketing Department. In that position, she creates content for the department’s web landing page and its social media platforms. Her favorite part of the role isn’t just the creativity, it’s the connections.
“Sam introduces us to so many people,” Sonnad said of Samantha Inczauskis, MU assistant professor of Marketing. “She believes we have potential and gives us the space to show it.” Those connections helped Sonnad step into a new opportunity this summer with Fayetteville Public Works Commission (PWC).
Her internship at PWC focuses on communication and outreach. From creating flyers and social media content and her newest campaign: hurricane preparedness and resource conservation.
“It’s a huge company with a lot of moving parts,” she explained. “I’m working on process improvements, which is something I’ve never done before. It’s challenging, but I love it.
While she’s not certain a traditional corporate office is where she sees herself long-term, Sonnad knows she wants to stay connected to people and experiences. Her advice for other international students searching for internships, “Go out and explore, talk to your professors, have a cup of tea with them. They’re your biggest resource.”
Opportunities Near and Far
Sonnad is just one of many examples of GEO students making the most of their summers with internship opportunities. Some are on campus, others are in Fayetteville, some are across the state and U.S., and there are even international opportunities.
An example of an international internship opportunity belongs to Nejra Idrizović ’27, an MU student from Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Majoring in Industrial Engineering,
Idrizović landed an engineering internship with DV Power (a company based in Sweden, with offices in her homeland). Idrizović’s role highlights not only her ambition, but the global reach of MU students.
“I was working with other engineers on creating an Enterprise Resource Planning system (a software system that helps organizations manage and integrate the core functions of their business)” she said.
Some other examples of GEO students gaining hands-on experience near and far this summer include Nsimbo Mponezya ’25 (pictured at top), who landed an internship with JP Morgan Chase & Co. (an American multinational finance corporation headquartered in New York City, which is the world’s largest bank by market capitalization), and Chido Murambiwa ’28, who is helping as a marketing and event coordinator for GEO. Other students are working at local summer and tennis camps, exploring their passions for teaching and mentoring children.
Whether it’s working locally, nationally, or overseas, these students are gaining experience, pushing their boundaries, and preparing for great success in their future careers.
For more information about GEO, please visit methodist.edu/geo