LS&Co. Unzipped

Sep 06 2013

A Summer to Remember

It wasn’t an exotic vacation that made this summer particularly memorable for me. Instead, it was the opportunity to work with 16 amazing interns who came from across the country to the Levi Strauss & Co. global headquarters in San Francisco.

The interns were from colleges as close as the University of California at Berkeley and as far away as Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. And I dare say we kept them busy, but as one – Felice Feit – shared after her experience, it was time well spent:

In February, I saw the Brown Career Lab's listing for an internship opportunity with Levi Strauss &Co. I figured, simply, that would be pretty cool: iconic brands, a new city, and an internship role to complement and build on past experiences. I did get all of that this summer, as well as a welcoming culture, the ability to contribute, and constant learning experiences. As I return to classes, I'm thinking about the experiences from my internship that will stick with me.

When this year's intern class first met with Chip Bergh, the CEO, he told us that we'd soon start checking out the back pockets of everyone on the street, to see what they’re wearing. He wasn't joking. From San Francisco to a small village in Morocco, where I spent the past couple of weeks, people not only wear Levi’s®, but they’re impressed by the brand.

Beyond learning the value of the brand, I learned the brand's values. For me, this is the best part of the experience reflectively. When people ask about my experience and what I did, I get to tell them about what I saw sustainability-wise at LS&Co., and that I had the opportunity to contribute to that. My experience was personally and professionally rewarding.

Felice interned with our Corporate Affairs team, working on employee communications centered around the critical issue of sustainability. Her intern colleagues spent their summer throughout the company, in functions that included IT, Human Resources, Finance, Marketing, Merchandising and Design.

The work was hands-on and involved not only spending time in our retail stores, but meeting with people at all levels of the company, including members of our Worldwide Leadership Team.

It wasn’t all work, though. This is San Francisco, after all. And whether they came from across San Francisco Bay or far, far away, they were able to explore all corners of the area and develop friendships that will, no doubt, last well beyond their internships.

Five of the interns have even accepted offers to join us, as full-time employees, upon graduation next spring.

As the person who leads the LS&Co. intern program, it was a privilege to get to know these young achievers. And while they expressed their good fortune to spend summer learning and growing here, it’s safe to say that we, too, were fortunate to have people like Felice and her colleagues in our midst for 10 weeks this summer. I hope it was as memorable for them as it was for me.

Posted By: Lisa Devoto, Intern Program Manager, Levi Strauss & Co.
	Tags: Levi Strauss & Co.

Before posting your comment, please read the Blog Guidelines.

George Gamarra (not verified) - Sep 06 2013
Congratulations Lisa and best wishes to all your Summer Interns. I cut my teeth as an intern in the Summer of 92. I stayed with LS&CO. for almost 20 years with tours of duty in transportation & logistics, reengineering teams, internal audit, LS Europe and IT Supply Chain. I look back with nostalgia at the incredible talent I had the opportunity to work with and befriend. (Best regards to Nancy Philips, the first recruiter I interviewed with.)

---

Post new comment

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.

Comment

By submitting this form, you accept the Mollom privacy policy.

Before posting your comment, please read the Blog Guidelines.