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This May, Cardinal Health welcomed 60 interns, most college juniors, from 40-plus universities to 21 of our locations across five countries. For eight to 10 weeks, they do real jobs, gaining real-world experience along more seasoned leaders in their fields of expertise. Each has the opportunity to make meaningful contributions to the organization before they return to school to complete their degree programs.
As Kelly Wilson, VP, Talent Management, explained, these paid internships potentially have a longer lasting impact than just eight to 10 weeks this summer. “Our summer intern program provides top talent from universities, who bring fresh, diverse perspectives to very real work experiences at Cardinal Health,” she said. “This program enables us to build a pipeline of talent for the future as the interns join the company full time and progress to more senior professional and leadership positions. Over the years, we have hired many past interns, some of whom have built long careers here.”
This National Intern Day, we shine a light on six of these outstanding students. Here, they share a little bit about themselves, why they wanted to intern at Cardinal Health and what they’re learning this summer.
Thanathorn Akeakkharanusorn | Chulalongkorn University | Bangkok, Thailand
Akeakkharanusorn is spending his internship at the Cardinal Health Gammatron plant in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand, which manufactures products related to dialysis, urology, enteral feeding and suction (fluid management). “I still have so much to learn,” he said. “But I’ve already had the opportunity to put my education to use, and helped with some preventative maintenance on the facility’s machines. That was really exciting…getting the chance to learn and work in the automation space."
He said he’s motivated by challenging, interesting work, which he is finding plenty of this summer. “Everyone is so friendly and willing to help, however they can.”
Upon graduation, Akeakkharanusorn plans to pursue a master’s degree in manufacturing. And, when he’s not studying or working, he listens to K-pop, hip-hop and rock music.
Nina Bankovich | The Ohio State University | Columbus, Ohio
Bankovich’s internship is a hybrid experience, meaning that some days she works at Cardinal Health’s headquarters and sometimes from her home near the campus of OSU. For the summer, she’s part of the digital team supporting our Sonexus™ Access and Patient Support business, helping design a notification service for emails and text messages between providers (our customers) and their patients.
“I’ve been amazed at how many types of technology roles there are at Cardinal Health; it’s fascinating to see how they function with one another,” she said. “I’ve been able to adapt pretty quickly to all the new processes, technology and information that I’ve discovered here, and that’s really exciting.”
She came to Cardinal Health for the culture, she said. “I met the Cardinal Health College Relations team as a sophomore, and felt a welcoming energy from them; that’s something I’ve continued to experience from everyone I’ve met at Cardinal Health.”
She has loved meeting others in this year’s intern class, she said, and was moved by the opportunity to volunteer with some of them at the Special Olympics in June. Once she graduates from OSU, she hopes to become a homeowner and continue her career locally, working towards a managerial role in technology.
Catie Dzikowski | Saint Vincent College | Latrobe, Pennsylvania
Dzikowski is working in a hybrid capacity, splitting her time this summer between the Cardinal Health headquarters in Dublin, Ohio and her parents’ home in Westerville, Ohio. As a mathematics major at Saint Vincent College, Dzikowski is currently working on a data analysis project with our Pharmaceutical & Specialty Solutions segment, intended to predict customer demand more effectively.
“This summer has been my first exposure to supply chain and demand planning. There are so many real-life applications of my mathematics major within this function,” she said. One of the real-life applications important to Dzikowski and available through her internship at Cardinal Health is the opportunity to apply her skills in the healthcare field. “My older sister is an ER nurse, and while I admire what she does, I don’t do well with needles. At Cardinal Health, I was excited about the opportunity to do meaningful work that helps the community.”
Dzikowski has enjoyed her Cardinal Health experience so much that she hopes to join the Embark early career leadership development program next year. “I’ve met with a lot of Embark graduates and they have spoken very highly of the program. I think it would be an amazing opportunity, especially as a recent college graduate!”
Terrin Hibbler | Knoxville, Tenn. | University of Tennessee
Hibbler’s internship is on-site at the Memphis, Tennessee, distribution center where he is primarily focused on inventory management and operations. When searching for summer internships, Cardinal Health quickly became a target destination for personal reasons. “My grandparents are immunocompromised and need many medications. I wanted to have the opportunity to help people like them every day with the work I do.” All of Hibbler’s family is a large part of his motivation. “My family pushes me no matter what I do. They are extremely supportive of my accomplishments no matter how big or small.
”One major aspiration for Hibbler is to become fluent in Mandarin. He hopes to study the language in China and utilize his skills to further his career. In his free time, he is either watching the series “Black Clover” on Netflix or listening to a wide array of music - from Fleetwood Mac to South Korean artist BoA.
Callie Houck | Greensboro, N.C. | Campbell University
Houck has spent her internship on-site in the Greensboro, N.C. distribution center taking on supply chain management operations projects. Houck saw an opportunity to make a positive impact with her internship. “It has been fascinating to see how my day-to-day work can literally save people’s lives. It’s very fulfilling to know your work is making a difference.”
Another first for Houck this summer? “[Working in a warehouse has been] much different than anything I’ve ever experienced before but I really enjoy it. Currently, I am working on a supply management project to create a purchasing schedule for warehouse supplies,” she said.
In June, Cardinal Health hosted a teambuilding event for this summer’s interns at the headquarters in Dublin, Ohio. Houck made the journey to meet up with her cohort and was able to gain a larger perspective of the multitude of functions that make up Cardinal Health. “Hearing from all the different interns about their experiences and functions has really opened my eyes to the vastness of Cardinal Health…that I don’t see from the warehouse floor.”
Kristof Racz | Dublin, Ireland | Technological University of the Shannon
Racz is an engineering intern at the manufacturing facility in Tullamore, Ireland. He has had a “fantastic experience so far,” this summer. Racz was drawn to Cardinal Health because, “Cardinal Health is one of the leading medical device manufacturers in the world, thus it is the perfect environment to gain insight into the industry.”
For Racz, the most impactful aspect of his internship is having the chance to develop his technical skills with industry-standard tools. “These are lifelong skills that I will carry on for the rest of my career,” he said. Racz is proud of being able to adapt quickly to both the working environment and the vast array of tools and technology at Cardinal Health this summer. Personally, he is motivated by coffee, constant self-improvement and is probably listening to the “Under Pressure” album by hip-hop artist Logic.
Thanks to Akeakkharanusorn, Bankovich, Dzikowski, Hibbler, Houck and Racz for taking time to offer their perspectives and to all 60 Cardinal Health summer interns for their work this summer.
Applications for the summer 2025 internship program will open in early September. College juniors who are interested in the program can learn more and apply at cardinalhealth.com/college.