Contact: Sammy McDavid
Five Mississippi State seniors currently are engaged in specialized out-of-class training that has them spread from West Tennessee to Central America to the Philippines.
They are enrolled in the university's six-year academic program in international business. The curriculum culminates with a double degree, one in a foreign language from the College of Arts and Sciences and the other in a College of Business and Industry major.
Before graduating, however, each student must complete a business internship.
The five current interns include Amanda L. Bailey of Germantown, Tenn.; Julie B. Butler and Melanie J. Spradling of West Point; Ligia Herrera of San Pedro Sula, Honduras; and Melissa L. Pierce of Hoover, Ala.
Bailey, a Spanish and marketing major, is working in Memphis with the global trade services department of FedEx Express. She is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Bailey and a 1997 Germantown High School graduate.
Butler, a Spanish and management major, is working in the management and promotions office of Vishnu, an internationally known vegetarian restaurant in San Jose, Costa Rica. She is a 1997 West Point High School graduate and the daughter of James Butler and Marsha Nielsen.
Spradling, a French and finance major, is working at the New Orleans, La., headquarters of Freeport-McMoRan Copper and Gold Inc., an international mining and development company. She is a 1998 WPHS graduate and the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Spradling.
Herrera, a French and management major, is working at the Manila headquarters of Dole Asia Ltd., the Dole Food Co. branch serving Asia, Australia and the Middle East. She is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Juan J. Herrera and a 1998 graduate of the Escuela International Sampredrana.
Pierce, a German and marketing major, is working in Orlando, Fla., with the logistics/distribution systems analysis division of Nabisco International, an arm of Philip Morris/Nabisco, the world's largest food company. She is a 1997 Hoover High School graduate and the daughter of Walter E. Pierce and Judith W. Pierce.
Director John O. Lox said the students are the international business program's biggest assets.
"Our students are known for going the extra mile," he said. "They are ready to roll up their sleeves and get to know the business from the ground floor up. From company reports, we know they consistently perform above expectations."
Most graduates go to work for the companies with which they interned, he added.