Monica Osborne ’20 has always loved makeup and the beauty industry. So, when she toured Hollins during high school and learned the university offered a signature internship with The Estée Lauder Companies, one of the world’s leading manufacturers and marketers of skin care, makeup, fragrance, and hair care products, “I knew where I was going to college,” she says.
This summer, Osborne is heading to New York City to join The Estée Lauder Companies’ Presidential Associate Program. As part of the organization’s Global Corporate Citizenship and Sustainability department, she will spend the next 18 months engaged in customized professional rotations while receiving continuous leadership development, coaching, mentoring, and hands-on practical experience. “The goal of the program,” she explains, “is to help attract, retain, and develop the best future leaders of the company.”
The senior from Independence, Virginia, was selected for the program after an application process that included three rounds of interviews. She plans to use her time as a Presidential Associate to grow her knowledge of the company and determine which facet of the business she likes best to inform any possible graduate school plans.
Osborne set the stage for this opportunity in September of her junior year when she was awarded The Estée Lauder Companies’ signature internship that captured her attention as a prospective Hollins student. “My love for the company began on my first day when I met several strong, intelligent, career-driven women. I simply knew it was where I wanted to work because of their culture of supporting women.”
She adds, “I firmly believe that I was chosen for the internship due to everything I learned at Hollins.” A communication studies major with a minor in French (“I learned a brand new language and studied abroad in Paris.”), Osborne also boasts a certificate in leadership from the Batten Leadership Institute and completed seven different internships over the course of her four years at Hollins through the university’s Career Center.
“As a first-generation college student, Hollins truly allowed me to grow at my own pace and step out of my comfort zone. I learned how to advocate for myself and embrace adventure in all forms. The bonds I built with my other classmates and peers meant that I could learn and grow in a fun and supportive environment. I loved every moment.”
Osborne notes that she has been inspired throughout her undergraduate career by “the amazing number of alumnae/i who have done and are doing such impressive work in the world. I am also thankful for the professors, staff members, and everyone in-between who have had such an impact on students’ experiences like mine. The Hollins community is like none other and I am so proud to be a part of it.”
Photo Credit: Michael Falco
