An atypical educational background did not stop 21-year-old Gabriel Maniga from Romania to come to Denmark in order to study Marketing Management. After one and a half years of study at Dania, Gabriel is in his final semester doing his internship at Ford in Bucharest. ''Although I finished a bilingual high school, I decided to move to Denmark to continue my studies. After going to The Romanian International Universities Fair, I decided to try studying Marketing at Dania in Viborg. I am already finishing my education through an internship, and my company of choice is Ford'', explains Gabriel.
Close to home
Gabriel knew from the beginning what he wanted. He was determined to find an internship close to his hometown in a powerful corporation. It did not take long until the international student found out that Ford had opened a production plant close to home and decided to send an unsolicited application.
''The formalities took a long time because they were not looking for interns at that moment. After many emails with different people, I finally managed to get the right one. I spent a lot of time working on my CV and motivation letter. I was very lucky to be accepted here, because I spent my entire focus on this possibility and I had no Option B. This was a very risky move and I do not advise other students to do the same'', smiles Gabriel.
Moreover, being close to home enables him to spend time with his family and to use his mother tongue in other to bring value to his internship company.
Valuable insight for the company
Although not looking to hire at that time, Ford found Gabriel's application appealing and decided to give him a wide range of assignments in the Marketing Department. ''In the beginning, my tasks here were only related to Marketing, but later on I also started working in the Sales Planning department. My main responsibilities include editing the Ford brochures and adjusting the price lists of diverse products, due to recent significant national tax changes in Romania'', he says.
Moreover, he received his own project, which ''consists of centralizing all the data received from the Police in terms of new cars sold and registered in Romania, in order to assess the competition in the car industry. "This gave him a lot of satisfaction because he managed to gain a clear image of the automobile industry in Romania and Ford's place in it. ''I am thrilled to knew that what I started from scratch will be used in the future, even after I finish my internship'', he explains.
Personal growth and skills improvement
Finding a truly inspiring internship is not always easy. However, Gabriel's perseverance and devotement have paid off. ''My internship here taught me many things. Above all, it taught me how to deal with people at the work place and helped me gain more self-confidence. I truly enjoy my time here and I have no regrets about coming to Denmark at Dania, because it enabled me to be where I am today and it gave me all the necessary preparation for a challenging internship like this'', concludes Gabriel.