For Eva De La Rosa, a junior Business major with a Marketing minor from the Chicago area, this past summer was one of discovery — of her interests, her strengths, and what it means to find purpose in business.
De La Rosa’s internship at Reyes Holdings didn’t come through a formal application portal, but through a connection right on campus.
“Director of Student Success and Career Development Wendy Chapman sent out an email to Chicago-area business majors about the opportunity,” De La Rosa recalled. “I reached out to her with my resume, and she shared my information with the company. They followed up to set up an interview and connected me with the team.”
That simple step led to a summer of meaningful work — and real growth.
“I feel like I’ve been able to apply a lot of what I’ve learned in the classroom, especially around Corporate Social Responsibility and the common good,” De La Rosa said.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a business framework that calls organizations to balance profit with ethical, environmental, and social responsibility.
In many ways, the experience reflected Holy Cross College’s mission to form students with the competence to see and the courage to act—helping De La Rosa recognize the ethical dimensions of business and confidently apply what she learned in service of the common good.
“I spent my whole summer reviewing CSR reports, so I became very familiar with how companies approach these initiatives. That experience gave me an edge back in class — I can now share with my classmates what businesses actually do.”
Also having the opportunity to work on the asset management team, De La Rosa found herself exploring an area she had not anticipated. “When I decided to major in business, I didn’t really know what went into working in the field — there are so many different paths,” she said. “This internship helped me figure out what I like and what I don’t, and I found that I really enjoy asset management.”
Her capstone project involved collaborating with different facilities to identify low- or no-cost ways to reduce operating expenses, and to communicate those recommendations strategically. “It was about creating improvement plans that made sense both financially and environmentally,” she explained.
But it was not just the work that challenged her — it was also the experience of speaking up and asking for help. “I think the hardest thing was pushing myself to ask questions,” De La Rosa admitted. “I was nervous about people thinking I did not know something. But my colleagues were so encouraging. They reminded me that I was there to learn and did not have to know everything. We’d have lunch together or go out to eat — it made the workplace feel comfortable and supportive.”
De La Rosa’s team in Rosemont, Illinois was small but connected to others across the country. “One of the people I worked with most closely was based in California,” she said. “We used Microsoft Teams a lot to collaborate. I had both a manager and a mentor — my manager guided my projects, and my mentor focused on sustainability. It was the best of both worlds.”
The experience stretched De La Rosa’s comfort zone in the best way possible. “Overall, I learned that even if I’m not super familiar with something, I can still produce good work by asking questions, trying my best, and seeking feedback,” she said. “I also learned how to be mindful of people’s time — to be efficient when asking questions and getting input.”
De La Rosa credits Holy Cross with preparing her well for that mindset. “I didn’t know what I would be walking into, so it was all very new,” she said. “But Holy Cross taught me how to stay organized and on top of my work. Between classes, SGA, and now being an RA in James Hall, I’ve learned to manage my time and communicate effectively — and that really helped me during the internship.”
One of her biggest takeaways came from attending a sustainability conference with her manager, Patrick. She recalled that someone asked him, ‘Reyes is a private company — what’s the motive behind focusing on sustainability?’”. “Patrick said that it’s part of the company’s culture to do the right thing, even if it’s not publicized. That really stuck with me. It showed me that business can be both for profit and for people — and that’s something Holy Cross has instilled in us from day one.”
As she looks ahead, De La Rosa knows what she will be seeking in her next experience. “I’m really looking for a strong corporate culture — a place where people take time to get to know one another and build community,” she said. “If it’s somewhere I might want to work long-term, I want to explore whether it’s a place where I can thrive.”
From finding confidence in asking questions to discovering how values and business can align, De La Rosa’s summer taught her that learning does not end in the classroom — it just begins there.
To see more about internship and professional development at Holy Cross, visit Career Development – Holy Cross.