Summer Internship Spotlight: Richard Williamson, (MBA’22): Apple

Each year, our students spend their summers in Washington, D.C., across the nation, and around the world working in corporate, nonprofit, and government organizations. Meet a few of our graduate and undergraduate students in our 2021 Summer Internship Spotlight series.

Richard Williamson, (MBA’22)

Outbound Logistics Team Intern, Apple

Tell us about your summer.

I had an awesome summer! I completed a 12-week summer internship at Apple on the Outbound Logistics team. I was tasked to create a clear and concise presentation on gaps between Finished Goods (FG) & AppleCare (AC) Logistics capabilities. 

In order for me to be successful, I needed to effectively identify and generate comprehensive analysis (and root cause, where applicable) of gaps between FG and AC. Ultimately, my deliverable needed to be actionable and measurable while including recommendations on pathway forward to close gaps: both short and long-term.

How did your internship relate to your professional or personal interests?

My summer internship was very impactful to my development and understanding of global supply chain. I’m very passionate about global strategy, supply chain, and business development. My long term goal is to become a Chief Operations Officer at a firm within the technology or healthcare industry.

How did you find the internship?

I found the internship on Apple’s official website. Additionally, I engaged the recruiters directly at the Orientation Program for The Consortium and Veteran’s MBA Conference.

What’s the most interesting or impactful thing you did or worked on?

Though I can not highlight all of the specifics, I successfully implemented a new framework for Apple’s KPI measurements of On-Time Performance (OTP). This framework has been adopted across the organization and will have a large impact for months and years to come.

What did a typical day look like?

There were no typical days at Apple. Apple is such a dynamic working environment and each new day brought its own set of challenges. However, I was able to work with some of the brightest minds from around the world to operate and elevate the company to serve it’s customers.

Any advice for other students?

1. Don’t self-select yourself from any opportunity: I am a transitioned Army Officer with no previous corporate experience. If you are passionate about something, even if it is different from all of your previous experiences, go for it. The worse thing that they can tell you is no.

2. Own your story: There is such a power in storytelling. As you engage and interview with your companies of interest, really bring your past experiences to life and showcase why you are pursuing the specific role. Don’t be afraid to be yourself and interject highlights of your personality into the process so the recruiter/manager can really get to know you.