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Voices of ACES Blog

ACE in the workplace

Jay Siegrist

My name is Jay Siegrist, and I am a junior in the Department of ACE with a concentration in Policy, International Trade, and Development. Becoming an ACE major has been one of the best decisions of my life. I have held two different internships as a result of the ACES career fair, and I will hold my third internship this summer as a grain merchandiser for the Scoular Company. Being able to utilize the ACES career fair is one of the largest assets that the College of ACES and the Department of ACE has to offer. Over 100 companies attend, and there are over 1000 job opportunities available.

This past summer I worked for Archer Daniels Midland around Peoria, IL. I talked to ADM at the ACES career fair in the fall and interviewed on campus at the ACES library the same day. I found it to be very comfortable that I was able to interview on campus in a place I was familiar with. The interview went great, and I accepted with ADM the next week.

Finally, in May orientation week came around, and it was great to have ten other U of I students with me. Upon arrival at my facility, I found it comforting that there were two U of I ACES graduates working with me. It  goes to show that the ACES network reaches everywhere. The classes I took on campus gave me the tools to start my intern position as prepared as possible. I learned all about communicating effectively, reporting to management, and dealing with customers. I even got three hours of credit for an off-campus internship through an independent study with a faculty member!

All in all, the College of ACES and the Department of ACE treat you like family and care about your success. There is no other college or department at the U of I like ACE, and I highly recommend enrolling. Remember, if you’re in ACES, you’re going places.