Written by Lucy Marchena
Walton Scholars at Harding University will face at the end of October the challenge of interviewing with executives from Walmart Central America who will be looking for new managers for their stores.
Senior Walton Scholars will apply for an Executive Training Program at Walmart, while juniors will try to get a summer internship. Both opportunities are given to just one person per country in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica.
“I think that this is a really good opportunity for us, because even if a person is not chosen, he or she will have the contact information of very important people at Walmart,” says Walton Scholar Allans Coello from Honduras, president of the International Business Society at Harding, the organization that is co-sponsoring this event, along with the College of Business Administration.
Students from Harding are not the only ones participating in this program, which is going to be held from Oct. 26-28, but also Walton Scholars from the University of the Ozarks and John Brown University. Last year’s interviewing process was also held at Harding and it was the first time that Walmart gave Walton Scholars the opportunity to be hired for high executive positions.
Budd Hebert, IBS sponsor, said that although this process includes three universities, managers from Walmart have reported that Harding’s students have demonstrated the highest performance.
“I am very excited about this chance that Walmart is giving us,” said Misael Cojtin, member of the IBS. “We, as Walton Scholars, don’t have the opportunity for applying to any of the internships or jobs that are offered to the majority of students on campus, since the contract of our scholarship prohibits the permanence in this country during the summer break or after graduation. I really appreciate this opportunity, and I will give my best to get it.”
Walmart Executive Training Program and Summer Internships are open to Walton Scholars of any major. Students in Free Enterprise and IBS, are organizing activities together in order to help the students to “get in shape” for the interview, with a fashion show of business attire and a workshop for successful interviews, both scheduled for the week of Oct. 19-23.
