Intern Stories: Olivia Calvin

Olivia Calvin   

Sustainability Intern 

Why did you choose Zoetis for your summer Internship?

When I was looking into potential internships for the summer, Zoetis stood out to me because of their Driven to Care sustainability strategy. With Zoetis being the world leader in animal health, I loved that a company this size was making big efforts to implement sustainability at all levels of the organization. The environment I worked in also made me feel confident in my choice to pursue this internship. I worked on individualized projects, and I genuinely felt like I was making an impact in the organization. I worked on this great team that was so open to answering all my questions and always being there to help if needed.

What was the biggest accomplishment you achieved during your internship?

I am so proud of all the projects I had the opportunity to work on. The one project that I particularly loved was organizing a volunteer event for our whole team. We volunteered with Cardz for Kidz and were able to help the organization uplift spirits and provide encouragement to families, seniors, and children in need. I coordinated the whole team to come together and make inspiring unique cards to donate and be hand-delivered. Being able to positively impact the community together as a team was so heartwarming and memorable.

What did you learn during your internship?

I learned just how overarching and broad sustainability can be. When people think about a sustainable company, they often assume it just means to have a low carbon footprint, but this internship taught me that there are so many dimensions that contribute to sustainability. Through this internship I was able to learn so much more about the deeper meaning of sustainability and I was able to gain broader insights to things like corporate giving, scholarships, employee engagement, and volunteering; all aspects that contribute toward Zoetis‘ overarching sustainability strategy.

How were you able to apply what you learned in school to this role?

I tried to learn as much as possible as an undergrad. I have a degree in mathematics and environmental studies with a minor in economics, and I’m currently finishing up my master’s in geography with an emphasis on environmental impacts. I came into this internship with education and a passion for sustainability which was a huge asset for me. From school I learned to do things efficiently and have an analytical mindset which was very helpful when navigating my different projects. Certain things I did in my role were similar to what I was doing at school, like literature reviews. Being in a sorority was also helpful because I had experience operating volunteer work and corporate giving, which I was also able to apply to some of my projects.