{"id":35413,"date":"2021-04-07T14:14:01","date_gmt":"2021-04-07T18:14:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/?p=35413"},"modified":"2021-08-23T13:22:01","modified_gmt":"2021-08-23T17:22:01","slug":"logistics-firm-wtdc-hires-seven-fiu-business-interns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/2021\/04\/logistics-firm-wtdc-hires-seven-fiu-business-interns\/","title":{"rendered":"Logistics firm WTDC hires seven FIU Business interns"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Seven
(l. to r.) Sean Gazitua, president and CEO of WTDC, with spring 2021 FIU interns Leahanna Sine (U.S.); Jibin Jinu, India; Calvin Mittra, Bangladesh; Julia Leitao, Brazil; Andressa Souza, Brazil; Isabella Palmese, Honduras; and Kristina Khudiakova, Russia.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When junior Kristina Khudiakova isn\u2019t learning international business theory in class, she is putting it into practice as a digital marketing intern at WTDC, a global trade firm. Three days a week, Khudiakova heads into the office to create promotional videos and social media content. She films, edits and writes, working closely with employees and soaking up lessons covering all aspects of international business.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so grateful for this hands-on work opportunity where I can implement the concepts we study in the field I want to pursue,\u201d said Khudiakova, president of FIU\u2019s International Business Honor Society (IBHS). \u201cThey not only give me assignments, but we also talk a lot about other industries. I\u2019m learning so much.\u201d<\/p>\n

Khudiakova is one of seven members of IBHS to be hired as a spring intern at WTDC, where FIU Alumni Association board of directors member Sean Gazitua (BBA \u201804) sits at the helm as president and CEO. It wasn\u2019t Gazitua\u2019s original plan to hire seven FIU interns, but he was so impressed by the crop of students he interviewed remotely last semester that he found a place at the company for each of their talents. The group also brings strong international experience to the business, hailing from Bangladesh, Brazil, Honduras, India and Russia as well as the U.S.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe interns are amazing,\u201d Gazitua said. \u201cThey bring a breath of fresh air. We\u2019ve been doing this for a long time so we know what we are doing, but at the same time, technology is changing everything, so we want their opinions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gazitua doesn\u2019t have a preconceived list of internship slots to fill. Instead, he gauges student interest and comes up with individualized plans. When a current intern mentioned his interest in renewable energy, a lightbulb went off in Gazitua\u2019s mind because he wants WTDC to become a green company. The intern is analyzing the company to find ways to reduce electricity consumption, as well as researching best practices employed by other companies.<\/p>\n

The relationships that start as internships often evolve professionally. Gazitua has hired former interns into full-time jobs, and has used his connections around the world to help others find jobs in their home countries. He has found that international students often have language skills and a cultural understanding of markets WTDC works with as a global logistics provider.<\/p>\n

David Wernick<\/a>, teaching professor and faculty advisor IBHS, has helped connect FIU students with the company for years.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know these interns are going to get an amazing\u00a0hands-on\u00a0experience and be treated exceptionally well,\u201d Wernick said. \u201cThey learn valuable lessons on teamwork, communication, and execution from a company on the front lines of the global economy.\u00a0And\u00a0WTDC gets a steady stream of students who are energetic and eager to learn,\u00a0so it\u2019s a win-win!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When junior Kristina Khudiakova isn\u2019t learning international business theory in class, she is putting it into practice as a digital marketing intern at WTDC, a global trade firm. Three days a week, Khudiakova heads into the office to create promotional videos and social media content. She films, edits and writes, working closely with employees and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":99,"featured_media":35417,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[585,1130,2686],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35413"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/99"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35413"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35413\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35429,"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35413\/revisions\/35429"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35417"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35413"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35413"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35413"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}