Global Intern

By Nancy Ridgeway

Ali Almullaali ’15 has focused on his studies for three solid years, enrolling in classes year-round and acclimating to life in the United States. An industrial and manufacturing engineering and technology major from Kuwait, Almullaali graduates in December, a semester ahead of his classmates. Before he does, he wants to experience the corporate world—on an international scale.

Almullaali is looking forward to two summer internships: one in Hong Kong through Bradley’s Study Abroad program and a second in his homeland, which he arranged with the help of his cousin.

“I am aiming to achieve a professional insight from an international perspective,” Almullaali said.

In Hong Kong, he will intern for Wallem Ship Management Limited from May 20 to July 18. “I will be working with the technical team on software related to their ships. I hope to use the skills I have gained from the IMET Department to find optimal solutions for transporting goods to different ports in Asia,” he said.

Discussing his decision to intern in Hong Kong, Almullaali said, “My family members have been talking about the companies in Hong Kong and China. The Chinese economy is expected to reach $123 trillion in the future. I chose Hong Kong because they have multi-national corporations there, and I want to get into the Asian market. I read the information about the program on the Bradley website and decided to apply.”

Almullaali will receive class credit for BUS 301, Cooperative Education/Internship in Business, and MTG 400, Topics in Marketing.

Once his internship in Hong Kong is completed, Almullaali will travel to his homeland for an internship with the Kuwait Oil Company, where he will work from July 20 through August 23. “I found this one by networking through my cousin,” he noted.

Almullaali hopes his internships will complement each other, since one company is in the shipping industry and the other involves shipping as an oil exporter.

“It’s going to be a summer full of events, but it’s the best time to gain real-world experience before graduating. These internships are the beginning.” Almullaali said. After graduation, Almullaali plans to return to Kuwait to enroll in a training program for engineers and architects funded by the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development. The 12-month program involves three months of training in Kuwait, a six-month internship in the U.S., Europe or the Middle East, and three more months in Kuwait. He is considering pursuing a master’s degree after that.

Reflecting on his years at Bradley, he said, “The classes prepared me well. I’ve had one-on-one help from professors and can ask as many questions as I want. When I told Dr. Gary Lin, one of my IMET professors, about this, he told me I could contact him throughout the summer for advice. All of the professors really care about academic programs, but also about students’ futures and their internships. The professors are like family. They text you; they check up on you. Bradley has been the best experience ever.”