KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Trying new this is what keeps college exciting for Keaton Peyser, a junior at Western Michigan University’s Haworth College of Business. The supply chain management student from Hoffman Estates, Illinois, is exploring his field through internships, registered student organizations (RSOs) and unique experiences.
With an interest in a wide range of fields, Peyser has held quite a few internship positions focusing on different areas. Starting as a global sourcing intern at Weber Inc., he was exposed to global supply chain for the first time. Next, he learned about manufacturing as a lean manufacturing intern at SWD. Then, the past summer, he interned at ALDI as a national supply chain intern. During his time there, he worked on demand planning, which included a project where he forecasted and built an order plan for Hershey products in ALDI stores across the country. Peyser is currently working as a supply chain intern at Parker Aerospace where he is responsible for performing ad-hoc analysis to support the production planning team and reducing on-hand inventory.
Through his internships in a variety of sub-fields, Peyser has been exposed to different pathways in supply chain management. He’s had a similar experience in his RSO participation at Western. He is a member of Delta Sigma Pi, the academic professional fraternity on campus and a competing member on the WMU Haworth collegiate DECA team. Peyser also serves as the director of member relations for the Supply Chain Management Association (SCMA) where he oversees the mentorship program and ensures Student Professional Readiness Series (SPuRS) credit for its members.
These RSOs have not only broadened his outlook on his career, he says they also have given him a sense of belonging.
“The community and organizations I’m involved in have absolutely changed my college experience. Coming in as a new student from another state, I immediately had a group of friends I could connect with. This helped me get comfortable and gave me a strong supporting cast to lean on. My involvements with SCMA, DECA and Delta Sigma Pi have been instrumental in growing my network of future business leaders, as well as great friends,” he says.
During his final year at WMU Haworth, Peyser shares some advice with his peers.
“Get involved as quickly as possible. Not only does this help you grow professionally, but also helps you find your community and supporting cast early on. Push yourself to learn and soak up as much information as possible. Also, making friends with juniors and seniors will greatly benefit you; they can act as mentors and help with the internship search. You never know who your boss could be someday—it might be a WMU graduate you know!”
This summer, Peyser will be studying abroad in Germany. Upon his return to the United States, he will be heading to Everett, Washington, where he will be interning at Boeing in the supply chain department.
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