A First for Ergon Asia: Interns Gain International Experience
At Ergon, we are dedicated to investing in future leaders. Through interactive, hands-on engagement, we aim to provide opportunities that help students gain invaluable knowledge and develop expertise for their professional careers.
Ergon Asia hosted the first class of interns in April 2026 as part of an eight-week internship program. This opportunity allowed two students to learn about our operations, processes and companies around the world. We appreciate our interns’ commitment to gaining real-world experience and connecting with industry professionals.
An Opportunity Like No Other
As Rhyan Plumlee, Vice President – Sales, noted, Ergon partners with Global Academic Ventures (GAV) to help bring study abroad opportunities to students around the world. GAV assists applicants by connecting them with companies, interviews and learning opportunities. They reached out to see if Ergon Asia would be interested in hosting interns.
For Hope Rosen and Jozelyn Chen, Ergon Asia’s first two interns, it was an opportunity they simply couldn’t pass up.
“Being one of the first interns here is really cool because everyone here is just so kind and so sweet,” Hope said gleefully.
The New Jersey native and junior at Elon University, studying supply chain management and economic consulting, shared that the opportunity stood out from the beginning. “The employees were so welcoming, and it seemed like they had exciting projects in store for us. I feel like we’ve been able to work on a lot of interesting and insightful projects,” Hope said.
Hailing from Long Island, New York, Jozelyn Chen, a senior at Bucknell University majoring in accounting with a minor in Chinese, shared similar sentiments.
“Ergon was one of the only companies that asked me, ‘How did this impact your life? How did studying abroad previously impact your personal and professional career?’ Jozelyn shared. “Being the only company that asked me those questions, I felt a warm presence from them. They wanted to get to know me and work with me. But this was an interactive experience, too. I would get to work with a company and integrate myself within their operations, which was what I wanted.”
And they did just that.
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The first day started with in-depth research into Ergon’s history, operations and functions.
“I learned how operations worked in the oil industry, especially transformer oils. I also learned about supply chain management, along with demand and forecasting,” Hope noted.
Then it was time to take it up a notch.
“For demand planning, I was able to work on projects analyzing incoterms and free trade agreements (FTAs). Jozelyn and I worked on that together. Another thing I’ve been doing is creating a weekly newsletter, updating everyone on what’s currently happening in the supply chain,” she continued.
Jozelyn loved having the opportunity to gain additional finance experience and expand her horizons outside her comfort zone. She also participated in acquisition target analysis and researching companies.
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Home Away From Home
Thousands of miles from home, Ergon’s family-like culture created a familiar feeling. From sitting in on meetings and listening to the Ergon Asia team collaborate, Hope and Jozelyn said they were fully integrated into project planning, forecasting and team bonding activities.
“A bunch of people from the office all went on a bike ride together at one of the parks, and then we went out for seafood afterward. It was fun getting to bond. When it was my birthday, everyone surprised me with a cake. When they say the Ergon culture is like family, I feel like it truly is because everyone just bonds together, and the environment is just so great,” Hope reflected.
Jozelyn added, “It shows a lot of their dedication to helping us grow and helping us learn. They took the time to meet with me and talk through my projects and what they do. It was really helpful, too.”
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Looking Ahead to the Future
As their internship with Ergon Asia approached its final week, each took home an invaluable experience that will guide them in their career paths.
“One thing that I’ll definitely apply to my career journey is finding an environment that mirrors Ergon,” Jozelyn said. “Also, working with so many of the financial aspects and interpreting and researching finances for Ergon broadened my horizons into looking beyond accounting and exploring what else I could do outside of typical industries.”
“I’ve learned what type of leadership I want to look up to and what type of leader I would potentially want to become one day. I learned a lot more about global shipping and truly how current events impact everyday supply chain activities,” Hope added.
After wrapping up their experience as Ergon Asia’s first interns, they shared a piece of advice for students interested in studying abroad: Take advantage of every opportunity, learn the ropes and connect with your team members. We remain committed to investing in future generations so they, too, can not only learn about our organization, but become leaders across several fields in our industry.
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Good luck, Hope and Jozelyn!
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