An Internship With An Iconic Brand Opens Up A New Career Path For The Math Major
Ginika Okoli created a computer model to predict future ROI for Mars during her three-month paid internship.
04/16/2024
By Brooke Coupal
Ginika Okoli landed a sweet internship for the summer before her senior year.
The mathematics major worked in Newark, New Jersey, as a data analytics intern for Mars Inc., manufacturer of Snickers, M&M’s, Skittles and dozens of other food and pet products.
“They made me feel so included, welcomed and important,” Okoli says of the company, which did $45 billion in sales in 2022.
During the three-month paid internship, which also provided free housing and transportation, Okoli analyzed the company’s return on investment for social media advertisements and other campaigns. Using the programming language Python, she created a computer model to predict future ROI for Mars, based on current trends.
“I learned a lot because I don’t have a computing background,” says Okoli, who enrolled in a programming course when she returned to campus to further develop her coding skills.
On campus, Okoli, whose parents emigrated from Nigeria, is active in the Association of Students of African Origin and the National Society of Black Engineers. She is also a member of UTeach, an undergraduate teacher preparation program for STEM majors. Through the program, she has gotten teaching experience at Lowell High School and Lowell’s Stoklosa Middle School.
“My biggest thing is making students feel that they’re welcomed in STEM spaces, especially students of color,” she says.
The Mars internship gave Okoli the opportunity to explore a different career path. Now she’s considering getting a master’s degree in statistics.
“I have a new outlook on math,” she says. “There’s so much potential with my future degree.”