What are you doing this summer? At SanMar, interns are busy getting real-world experience with an industry-leading company.

Each year, we invite college students and recent graduates to learn and grow in their chosen field through summer internships across several departments. Our 2024 interns are already making their mark, from Accounting to IT to Marketing. Read on to find out more about each of them.

Shriya Bhaskara

Team: IT – DevOps
School: University of Washington – Bothell
Studied: Computer Science/Software Engineering & Business Administration

Shriya has been helping the SanMar IT team write and review code. She’s also exploring the lifestyle of a software developer and getting hands-on experience with new platforms and tools. She plans to work as a full-time software engineer before pursuing her master’s degree.

“I wanted to transition into a full-time position after being a full-time student to get more practical experiences in a company that has strong values and a great environment.”

Mariana Canahuati

Teams: Merchandising & Product Development
School: University of the Incarnate Word
Studying: Fashion Management & Apparel Product Design

Mariana is getting a full picture of how new apparel products are planned and developed, while working on small projects and learning about sustainability in the fashion industry. After graduating she hopes to continue working in the US and learning about the industry that she loves.

“I was excited to learn more about this part of the industry and the more I learn the more I like it.”

Olivia Delach

Team: Marketing Operations
School: University of Washington
Studying: Business & Communications

Olivia has worked at SanMar before. This time she’s looking forward to seeing how SanMar’s growth happens behind the scenes with an eye toward tackling new challenges in the Marketing field once she graduates.

“I had previously worked for SanMar for a brief time a couple years ago. The environment was so welcoming and comfortable I knew it was a place I wanted to return to one day.”

Natalie Dumler

Team: Marketing – Data Analytics
School: Lehigh University – Pennsylvania
Studying: Computer Engineering

Natalie is working with the SanMar Marketing team, using Excel and Power BI to clean up and present sales team data. She’s excited to get real work experience and meet new people, and after graduation hopes to earn a position in data science or analytics.

“I really liked the company culture and values!”

Jonna Gunnarson

Team: Marketing
School: University of North Dakota
Studying: Communication & Marketing

Jonna has kept SanMar Marketing projects moving by contacting team members and getting status updates. She also spent a week with the tradeshow and showroom teams at our Preston distribution center. She’s interested in exploring further marketing and internal communications work after she graduates.

“My family’s company has been a customer of SanMar and so I’ve grown up being familiar with the industry. Doing an internship here felt like the best way to use my experience.”

Kyla Kowalchuk

Team: Merchandising & Product Development
School: Washington State University
Studied: Apparel Merchandising & Design

Kyla is gaining a better understanding of how a new product goes from the concept stage to final development. She’s contributed to research and growth of new products and was impressed by the color-matching process. Kyla recently earned her bachelor’s degree and plans to pursue a career in apparel merchandising.

“I was drawn to the opportunity to contribute to a company known for creating positive change in the apparel industry!”

Y Lai

Team: Production & Creative Marketing
School: University of Washington – Tacoma
Studied: Marketing & UX Design

Y Lai is getting experience in the creative side of SanMar, learning about digital marketing and the strategic aspects of how products are developed. She’s also passionate about exploring UX design. As a recent graduate, she hopes to apply her knowledge and skills to solving real-world problems.

“I didn’t know what SanMar was at first. When I researched it I was impressed to discover that SanMar partners with Better Buying to solicit honest feedback from its suppliers for continuous improvement.”

Bobby Larson

Team: Accounting
School: University of Washington
Studying: Accounting & Finance

Bobby has been meeting with fellow SanMar team members and working on accounting projects in Excel. After graduation, he plans to earn his CPA license.

“I’m interested to see how SanMar operates, and I wanted to learn more about the company and what they do.”

Max Moreno

Team: Product Development – Custom Team
School: Seattle Central College
Studying: Apparel Design & Development

Max has been helping the SanMar Custom Apparel Team develop presentations showing potential custom product opportunities. As a result, he’s learned how teams work together during the development process. After he graduates, Max would like to help develop new apparel products.

“I wanted to intern at a company that would allow me to learn more about the entire apparel product development process. It’s been great that SanMar has every part of that process, and everyone collaborates so closely.”

Ariella Nelson

Team: Marketing
School: University of Pennsylvania
Studied: Economics

Ariella has worked at SanMar once before, making video and social media content to support small businesses. This year she’s creating Power BI dashboards to analyze the sales of different SanMar brands and products. Ariella is going to MIT next, earning her master’s in business analytics.

“I worked at SanMar two years ago in a very different capacity…I enjoyed working with the team in 2022, and I’m excited to return to SanMar in a more analytic role.”

Vikram Puri

Team: IT – e-commerce
School: University of Washington
Studying: Computer Science

Vikram has found that SanMar is a good place for him to learn about the different technologies developers use. He’s focused so far on the e-commerce aspect of the business. After he graduates he’d like to work as a developer, making technology in the industry first and then developing his own ideas.

“I think the environment is a good place for me to learn, and I think I will be able to contribute to the company.”

Baxter Rowland

Team: Human Resources
School: California Polytechnic – San Luis Obispo
Studying: Psychology

Baxter is helping to keep SanMar employees engaged, learning about how HR leaders go about their work and how business is done in a corporate setting. After graduation he’s excited to spend some time traveling and then finding work with a company he’s passionate about.

“I was told that I would get to see and learn a lot about the various parts of the Human Resources department, which was enticing as I am still learning what I want to do. The emphasis on learning and exploring was a big selling point.”

Kaio Tong

Team: Accounting
School: University of Washington – Seattle
Studying: Accounting & Finance

Kaio is getting a behind-the-scenes look at SanMar’s manufacturing and logistics. He’s also learning about the accounting procedures of a private business. He hopes to earn a CPA license and become an accountant.

“The manufacturing and logistic side of SanMar interested me so much. As a B2B business, it’s not often that people would hear about the company, but working here would allow me to understand how things go behind the scenes.”

We’re proud to have each of these future professionals working with us this summer and can’t wait to see what they do next. While all our internships are filled for this year, keep an eye out for future internship roles opening up in spring 2025!