MEET KATIRIA LUGO, ASSOCIATE ENGINEER IN RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

Friday, July 29, 2022

Katiria Lugo was a Chemical Engineering Intern in the Summer of 2021. She worked under the Global Biscuit organization with OREO. Kat stood out among her peers for her drive for results and constant eagerness to learn. Below, she shares with us her favorite experiences working at Mondelēz International, and what excites her about her career!

How was your overall Internship experience here at Mondelēz International?

My overall internship experience exceeded my expectations, and I am grateful to have been a part of it. I enjoyed the internship program to the fullest. I met amazing people, and learned about food science, employees' different career paths, company’s current, and future sustainable goals. I experienced the workflow and the amazing company culture. I had a lot of fun at the intern networking events. I hope other students get the opportunity to spend a Summer at Mondelēz!

How did this internship grow you professionally, and what major learnings and/or skills were gained throughout the internship?

An internship with Mondelēz helped me understand how a professional workplace operates. Through the programed meetings with senior leaders and team members, I got to experience the workflow and the company culture. Having to constantly connect with managers and team members, my networking and communication skills rose above and beyond. Throughout the program everyone was willing to provide feedback on my work, thus expanding my knowledge and performance. This internship helped me develop time management skills, as you will need to meet deadlines around others' schedules and your own. The major learning was exploring Mondelēz career options and learning what fit my career plans.

Can you tell us about your favorite project this Summer during your internship, and why?

My favorite project was collecting Oreo cookie data to help build a model and simulation. This model and simulation have efforts to reduce Oreo cookie breakage and improve consumer experience. It is a project that demonstrates how much goes into maintaining a brand and gives us a peak of what are the modern tools needed for innovation.

Looking back at all the internship programming, what was your favorite internship event this Summer and why?

My favorite internship event was a consumer market research challenge. This event consisted of designing a hypothetical product from start to finish: market research, production, packaging, etc. I really enjoyed learning about the process of developing a product and what market research entails.

Why did you decide to accept a full-time offer with Mondelēz?

I decided to accept a full-time offer with Mondelēz because I fell in love with the company culture and the company's current and future goals. Everyone I worked with was willing to go out of their way to help me; hence I knew I would have a good support system as a full-time employee. Plus, I get to work with the best brands in the snacking world!

Kat returned to Mondelēz in a full-time capacity as an Associate Engineer in Research & Development, upon graduating from the University of Puerto Rico, in March 2022.