Orientation in Decatur, IL

My first day with ADM was Monday May 23, 2023. This day consisted of waking up early in Cincinnati and driving to ADM's North American HQ in Decatur, IL. Here, I was able to check in, meet the campus recruiting team, and settle into my hotel room for the next 3 days.

The first night, I was able to learn a little bit about ADM and meet some other interns during the tailgate-themed party that they held in the conference center. I was able to connect with a few of the interns who would be at my location in Erlanger, KY and try a product that ADM has ingredients that was being served at the cookout, the Impossible burger. The first day was all about settling in and meeting people, which I was able to do. I turned in for bed early to prepare for day 2!

Day 2 started with speakers such as Presidents, Vice Presidents, and Directors from across the company. These helped to ground me and learn a little bit more of the industry that ADM fits into, as well as hear some advice form business professionals. After this, we had a flavor experiment to see how ADM creates complex flavors from different base flavors, such as mixing many ingredients to make a cola or strawberry flavor.

Later in the day, the intern group of 180 people went to visit ADM's Headquarters, viewed the trading floor, as well as saw a demonstration on Carbon Sequestration. This was a technical presentation that was not only compelling, but showed ADM's dedication to reducing carbon emissions.

For dinner, the campus recruiting team set up a dinner with Farm to Fork elements at a local barn venue. This was a chance for me to meet my manager and keep connecting with interns, such as the ones in the marketing department that I had not yet crossed paths with! The food was delicious, the times were good, and I was excited for day 3.

Day 3 started with more keynote speakers followed by lunch. The highlight of the day was volunteering with an organization called Feed My Starving Children, where we packed up meals for those in need around the world. It was helpful to others while also being a fun team bonding activity for the interns and I. I had done similar activities before, but never to this scale - together, our group packed more than 54,432 meals. We even made the front page of the newspaper the next morning!

Day 4 was some housekeeping and wrapping up, while also getting to meet with my manager one last time. I left for Cincinnati around 1:30PM and arrived home, exhausted but left with the memories of the intern orientation. A big thank you to all of the campus recruiters that helped put this event together - it was a blast!