NATCHITOCHES – Two Northwestern State University students were selected for internships with RoyOMartin this summer. Paige Hedrick, an accounting major from Pollock, and Karii Gautreaux-Gribanov, an industrial engineering technology major from Lafayette, joined other college students from around the state at RoyOMartin, where they are gaining professional experience with the company, a leading manufacturer of timber products in the southeast.

Hedrick and Gautreaux-Gribanov learned about internship opportunities through the Career Fair hosted by NSU’s Career Center each semester to connect students with prospective employers. After submitting resumes, they interviewed and were accepted.

“My sister Sydney also went to NSU and worked as a human resources intern at RoyOMartin last summer,” Hedrick said. “She really enjoyed her experience and encouraged me to apply. The application process was simple.  I had to submit my resume and interview virtually with human resources and the accounting staff.”

Hedrick’s duties will allow her to shadow different areas of the company’s accounting department.

“My supervisors have prepared a project for me to learn more about the company and corporate accounting as a whole. At the end of the internship, I will present my work to the executives,” Hedrick said.

“RoyOMartin is a well-known and very successful company in central Louisiana. I am working with professionals who have been with this company and have worked in their fields for a long time. I have only worked for one week and have already learned so much. Getting to apply what I learned at NSU to a successful, established business is a great start for my accounting career,” Hedrick said.

Gautreaux-Gribanov said her advisor and mentor, Dr. Nabin Sapkota, encouraged her to pursue an internship with RoyOMartin. After meeting representatives at the Career Fair, she submitted a resume and interviewed via Microsoft Teams.  A few days later, she was notified that she’d been accepted, and the onboarding process began. After safety training, she was placed in the quality control department at the plywood manufacturing facility in Chopin.

“I’m currently learning a new simulation software called Arena and I will be showing it to some of the other engineers,” Gautreaux-Gribanov said. She will also be touring RoyOMartin’s other plants. During her second week on the job, she said she was learning a lot and enjoying the experience. She has always had an aptitude for engineering and plans to pursue a master’s degree after completing her bachelor’s.

Hedrick utilized NSU’s Career Center for interview practice and resume workshops.

“Mrs. [Rachel] Cunningham and Mrs. [Sarah] Burkhalter helped prepare me for interviews in my Senior Seminar class and I was able to fix a lot of the interview mistakes I was making.” Hedrick said. “My accounting professors also encouraged us to start applying for jobs early and gave recommendations of good companies to apply to.”

RoyOMartin has been a partner to NSU for many years through scholarships, internship opportunities and initiatives that promote economic development in the region.

RoyOMartin is the registered trade name of Martco L.L.C., a forestry-related and wood-products manufacturing organization headquartered in Alexandria. With a legacy dating back to 1923, the family-owned company has been a major contributor to the economies of both Louisiana and Texas. In addition to being a leader in responsible forest-management practices and managing approximately 550,00 acres of highly productive timberland, RoyOMartin and its subsidiaries currently operate three manufacturing facilities supported by nearly 1,250 employees: an oriented strand board plant in Oakdale; a plywood and solid wood products plant in Chopin and an oriented strand board plant in Corrigan, Texas, which is currently expanding by adding a second mill at the site.  To learn more, visit royomartin.com.

Information on NSU’s degree in accounting is available at https://www.nsula.edu/business/degree-programs/accounting/.

Information on NSU’s Department of Engineering Technology is available at https://www.nsula.edu/engrtech/.