Alverno at Work: Cailey's Story

Cailey Jeske '19 earned her Alverno diploma this May, but she launched her professional career long before graduation.

That's because Jeske, who majored in business and management, wowed her internship supervisors at Komatsu Mining Corp. so much that she was officially hired on as an employee last November. She's one of a number of Alverno graduates who have secured full-time employment before graduation, a powerful testament to the students' talents as well as to how an Alverno education prepares students to put their knowledge into practice.

“The 8 Abilities — especially communication, analysis and problem solving — help me stand out in the workplace. I also appreciate opportunities to apply what we're learning to real-life situations instead of just answering questions on a test,” Jeske says. “It's not as far of a jump from college to the real world.”

Jeske's internship began in summer 2017, shortly after Komatsu, a Japan-based maker of mining equipment, acquired Milwaukee-based P&H Mining Equipment. (You might recognize the giant yellow and black mining shovel displayed outside the company's facility on Miller Park Way). As an intern in the supply chain division, Jeske helped manage the database that allowed Komatsu to acquire the parts it needs to assemble mining equipment.

One year later, Jeske was hired on in the same division as a buyer, giving her responsibility for sourcing and acquiring the parts.

“My ability to communicate well helps me do my job and allowed me to advance in the company,” she says.

As Jeske continues her professional growth, she is practicing the 8 Abilities. Take problem solving. When Komatsu had received only half of the parts it had ordered from one supplier, Jeske was tasked with tracking down the missing parts. Some had been lost in transit, while others were received late and broken. Jeske worked with the supplier to earn a credit on the broken parts, saving the company money and preserving the relationship with an important business partner.

Besides getting hands-on professional experience, other highlights of Jeske's Alverno experience include playing four seasons of Inferno volleyball (and joining the softball team her senior year) and building many relationships across campus.

“Your professors are constantly giving you feedback. They're giving you praise and they're helping you along,” she says. “The students are also helpful. We lean on each other when it's needed.”

All of this serves to prepare Alverno graduates like Jeske to not only be ready for a successful career but to also be the best possible versions of themselves.

“Alverno teaches us to be strong people who are going to say what we need to say. We're not going to stand by and do nothing,” she says. “We're going to try and move ourselves, and whomever we're working for, forward.”

This article appears in the spring/summer 2019 issue of Alverno Magazine.