Saxbys Intern Send-Off
One of the saddest things about summer winding down (besides the days getting shorter and beach season coming to a close) is that the Saxbys team had to say goodbye to our amazing interns. We were lucky enough to find three entrepreneurial college students who took on projects without being asked, baked cookies for Saxbys HQ visitors at the drop of a hat, and reminded us every day why we do what we do.
So here’s a special Saxbys team spotlight on Isa, Jen, and Frankie, plus a sneak peek at how they helped us out at Saxbys this summer. At least we have pumpkin spice season to keep us going in their absence.
Isabel Fortuno is a rising junior at the Cornell School of Hotel Administration. Originally from Dorado, Puerto Rico, Isabel grew up in the coffee industry. Her family owns and operates a fourth generation growing-and-exporting coffee business back home in Puerto Rico, so she definitely showed us what’s up.
What’s the one thing you’ll never forget about your Saxbys internship?
Ultimately, the sense of community is what made this experience so memorable. Each day was filled with laughter, running commentary, excursions into the streets of Philadelphia, and truly interesting work.
What was your favorite project?
My time here was rewarding and challenging as we as interns were pushed into domains we had never even considered working in. I greatly enjoyed the opportunity to take the lead in meetings, work on projects for every department, and even help develop manuals and databases to be used for years to come.
Jennifer Lurty is a rising senior and soccer player at Franklin & Marshall, where she majors in Consumer Psychology. She’s a self-described nerdy analyst from the Philly suburbs, and (lucky us!) this was her second year interning with Saxbys.
We’re so glad to have you back! What inspired you to join us for a second year?
When I say interning at Saxbys has been one of the greatest experiences of my life, I promise you, I’m not exaggerating. I knew I had to come back for another adventure this summer. It was amazing to see how much the company had grown in just a single year and to be back with such a great team.
Was this summer any different from the rest?
As an intern, I got the unique experience of being exposed to every part of the company. I went from working with the marketing team to being a model (specifically, hand model) in ads and promotions. The next week I was crunching numbers, analyzing data and then assisting our IT director with programming. I never knew what new and intriguing project I would be asked to help with!
Don’t forget you were our social media brand ambassador, too! What did your friends think of all of your Saxbys snaps?
With so much going on, I obviously had to document all of the cool activities that I got to be part of — my Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter and Facebook were updated constantly with my awesome day-to-day events. To put it simply, my friends were beyond jealous of everything I got to do at Saxbys.
Frankie Padulo is a rising junior and baseball player at Cornell, studying Applied Economics and Management. Frankie is originally from Southern California, but this summer he actually crashed with our Sustainability Coordinator, Dom (and likely learned just as much about recycling as he did about coffee).
What was the coolest thing you did this summer?
From day one, I was treated as another member of the team, not an intern, and throughout my entire time with the company, I worked alongside and interacted daily with executives. I was able to work with them on a wide variety of projects that not only were a great learning experience, but also created real value for the company.
Do you think you’ll miss your roomie Dom the most?
Every person I worked with welcomed me with open arms and genuinely cared about both my personal and professional development*. I am proud to forever be a part of the Saxbys family!
*Editor’s note: We’ll take that as a yes.