SBI’s Stevens uses internships to plot her future

FAMU senior Jada Stevens at one of her internships. Photo by Marina Arenivas

It didn’t taken long for Jada Stevens to make an impact at Florida A&M University.

Stevens, a first-generation Rattler from Cleveland, has been demonstrating leadership skills almost from the moment she set foot on campus.

“Jada has not let up when it comes to showing her leadership skills around SBI since the day she stepped on campus freshman year. She has one of the strongest work ethics I’ve ever seen and definitely others in SBI look up to her. I can’t wait to see what her future holds beyond graduation,” MBA candidate Emanni Bates said.

Although FAMU was not Stevens’ first choice, she knew back in 2016 when she took a tour on campus that FAMU would be her home for the next four years.

So far, Stevens has had the opportunity to intern during the summers that she has attended FAMU. Her freshman year she interned at Wells Fargo in North Carolina, where she did commercial finance working beside their finance team. The following summer she interned at Harley-Davidsons headquarters in Wisconsinwhere she had the opportunity to work for the marketing management division doing company promotions. Then, she had the pleasure of spending summer 2019 at Goldman Sachs with its investment management division of Market Solutions Group.

It’s safe to say Stevens is about her business.

“For me, I enjoy taking on different internships, that way I can see what I like, and what I don’t like in terms of a career,” Stevens said.

With the various internships thus far, she believes that she is preparing herself for when she enters her full-time job.

Her internships have also shown her the significance of working with others from different backgrounds.

“One thing I learned is you have to learn how to work with different people that have different personality traits, different backgrounds and be able to respect that,” Stevens said.

A piece of advice Stevens has for students who are preparing for internships is:“Be persistent. Even if you do not get the internship you want, still continue to look. There are thousands of internships but remember, nothing is going to be handed to you. It is up to you to go out and get them.”

SBI student Courtlyn Patrick says Stevens is a “strong and diligent young lady who is all about setting the standards high within SBI. Jada has conquered all odds and acquired extremely influential and highly motivating internships. As she continues to matriculate through school she rises above by standing on the shoulders of giants.”

Additionally, Stevens is a member of SISTUHS, Inc. and recently initiated into the Beta Alpha Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.

Stevens said she is looking forward to potentially working for Harley-Davidson upon her graduation this spring.