KALAMAZOO, Mich.— Western Michigan University senior Austin Fahrenkopf is getting his foot in the door of the business world. The finance student from Albany, New York, is taking advantage of his internship opportunities to gain as much experience as possible before he graduates from the Haworth College of Business.
In the summer of 2022, Fahrenkopf began his internship journey at KeHE Food Distributor. Working as an internal audit intern, he designed a key performance indicator dashboard to rank the performance of all the distribution centers. The following fall, Fahrenkopf began work as a finance and accounting intern at Shiloh Industries. In this position, he built a standardized Excel scrap report, assisted in sales forecasting, and maintained reports and spread sheets in journal entries at the end of each sales period.
Fahrenkopf’s most recent internship experience was with Meijer as a supply chain network planning intern. He was excited to gain exposure in supply chain management data analytics within a semi-vertically integrated retailer. His responsibilities within this position included enhancing data insight and planning in a team setting, working cross functionally with subject matter experts to develop a tailored Excel workbook tool to optimize Meijer’s frozen network product placement.
The variety of firsthand experiences he’s had while at WMU Haworth have given Fahrenkopf the experience he needed to achieve his goals.
“I’m very interested in how various financial markets affect current and future positioning. I have accepted a position at Stryker post-graduation, and I am excited to see what the future brings. All the experience I’ve gained through my internships has helped me to reach this goal,” he says.
The support he has received from WMU Haworth has played a pivotal role in mapping out Fahrenkopf’s academic and professional pathway.“WMU Haworth has extraordinary resources for students at any point in their college journey. Specifically, the professors are very knowledgeable and have the best guidance that often comes from a great deal of personal and professional experience. They are able to meet you where you are and give you tailored advice for your future,” he says.
As he completes his final semesters at WMU, Fahrenkopf shares some advice of his own.
“Your first goal should be to find what area of study you're passionate about. It’s much easier to go above and beyond in subjects that interest you. College is not always a straight path for everyone so don’t be scared to let your interests pave your path! Business is versatile!
After graduation, Fahrenkopf will join Stryker as a full-time financial analyst. He will begin his first of three year-long rotations as a part of their finance and accounting rotational program, starting in the treasury department. During this time, Fahrenkopf will also be working to obtain his certified management accountant certification.
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