Obakai Grandisson (MBA ’27)
This series highlights BC MBA students’ upcoming summer internships, featuring their firsthand accounts of securing internships across various industries and roles.
This summer, Obakai Grandisson (MBA ’27) is interning at Estée Lauder in New York City as a Presidential Management Associate, on the 360 Marketing team for skincare.
How did you secure your internship?
I secured the internship through the MBA Veterans Conference. I attended a virtual information session for veterans hosted by Estée Lauder, where I learned about the internship.
During the Atlanta conference, I spoke with the company’s recruiter, and he advised me to apply.
After the second interview, I received a call that I had been accepted into the internship program.
How did your first year at BC prepare you for this internship?
My Managing People and Organizations class will help me navigate office culture, team dynamics, and capitalize on professional relationships.
Second, my Marketing and Brand Management classes will give me the necessary perspective to best position a brand and create impactful stories that connect with stakeholders.
Finally, the MBA program's quantitative focus will help me analyze sales, projections, and forecasts for product launches.
What excites you most about your internship?
First, I’m excited to dive into the world of beauty marketing. I’m hoping to gain a better understanding of why consumers choose certain brands.
Second, I’m looking forward to the relationships I will build during my internship across my team, peers, and assigned mentor, who is also a veteran.
Finally, I plan to learn more about the consumer products industry during my internship. Estée Lauder has more than a dozen brand names in its portfolio, so this will be a great opportunity to learn about managing multiple brands under a single corporate umbrella.