Written by Carly Kester
“There is going to be a bloodbath between Walton Scholars.”
This is how Walton Scholar Luz Marchena described the competition for the coveted Wal-Mart internship awarded to juniors and seniors from Central America.
The internship, which started last year, is exclusively for Walton Scholars who attend Harding University, John Brown University and College of the Ozarks.
The job description for juniors is a manager position for one summer, and for seniors it is two years of executive training, after which they are offered a job.
A group of students from each school is chosen based on their resume, recommendations and activities they are involved in. Only one student is picked from each country to do the internship in his or her home country, Harding graduate Natalie Oliver said.
Those who major in business will most likely be the ones considered seriously for the jobs, but it is an opportunity open for all majors, Marchena.
The ones who are picked for the internships have had little or no experience with that kind of job, but the managers are still willing to hire them because they know how responsible Walton Scholars have to be, according to Marchena.
“SIFE [Students in Free Enterprise] is planning events to prepare students for jobs, like having a fashion show to help students know what is acceptable to wear during an interview, as well as interview training,” said Marchena.
Two of the top managers, one from Brazil and one from Costa Rica, will be interviewing the candidates.
“Every day they interview a different school, so they interview about 15 people a day,” said Marchena.
The Central American countries offering the internships are Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica.
The competition is fierce, and any Walton Scholar knows the job is a coveted position to achieve.
“It’s hard to get jobs in Central American countries because of economic and political reasons,” Marchena said. “If someone gets that job, their future is basically set.”
Fourteen students from Harding have been chosen as potential candidates to be interviewed for the job, along with students from the other two universities. Interviews will take place Oct. 25-28 to decide who will be chosen for the internships.
