Enterprising Intern

By Mackenzie Payne ‘17

Enterprise Rent-A-Car will pick you up, but Katie Munoz ’17 will make you glad they did. As the top intern in the Chicagoland region, the professional sales major outperformed 80 other interns in the rental car company’s summer intern competition.

Munoz topped the charts with her ability to sell insurance, rental upgrades and additional products. She also received high marks in customer reviews. Additionally, her team finished third in a group project competition component.

“It was really humbling and a lot of fun,” Munoz said. “It was a great experience. I had no expectations of winning at first, so I was thrilled to accomplish that.”

She worked through many of the same daily tasks as her professional peers, as she picked up customers, handled insurance and coordinated with auto repair shops.

She noted her professional sales background, especially a role-playing class, prepared her for the successful internship.

“The class is what I did on a day-to-day basis as an intern,” Munoz said. “If I did not take that class prior to this, the summer would have been much more challenging.”

The summer also showed her the value of a strong work ethic in a competitive environment.

“I’ve learned from my professors that the work you’re going to put in is the work you’re going to put out,” Munoz said. “You always have to beat the odds. Don’t let anyone hold you back and don’t let anyone make you feel intimidated.”

Enterprise’s work culture showed her that she could work hard and enjoy life as a professional.

“Everyone was welcoming and fun to be around,” she said. “I want to work with fun people, make jokes and have a good time at work. My co-workers made days go by so quickly.”

Munoz was introduced to the Enterprise internship through friends she met at Bradley, who told her the internship was a challenging mix of customer service, communication, teamwork and sales. It was everything she was looking for in an internship.

She is now working part-time with Enterprise in Peoria while finishing her degree.