Lydia Siegler ’23 utilizes The Aspire Program to gain internship at LMI Packaging

Lydia Siegler ’23 was first introduced to LMI Packaging through The Aspire Program, Carthage’s four-year career development program. She has now worked onsite at the company for over a year.

Lydia working in the ink room at LMI Packaging. At the end of the 2021 spring semester, Lydia connected with her career coach as she had not yet secured an off-campus internship. “I was panicked that there might not be anything left, but Carolyn Serdar [who is now serving as The Aspire Center’s interim executive director of career and professional development] was able to make the connection to LMI for me and advocate for my placement.”

As Lydia notes, the LMI Packaging internship in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin ended up being “the perfect fit.” While she began working in the manufacturing plant on inventory and quality control for the ink department, she was having a lot of fun and learning about corporate culture.

“My time in the ink room has given me a different perspective than what I’ve been learning back on campus,” Lydia says. “I’ve been able to see business processes happen in real time and ask critical questions about the way the business operates on a day-to-day basis.”

As a finance intern at LMI Packaging, Lydia works in the office alongside accounting staff members. For this past summer, Lydia secured a finance internship with LMI, where she had the opportunity to observe and support accounting processes in addition to being handed an independent project, tracking internal sales trends over the past couple of years and reporting on her findings.

“This new internship was a very easy addition to my current workload and a comfortable transition,” Lydia says. “The company and my supervisors have been extremely responsive and flexible with my schedule as they understand that obtaining my degree at Carthage comes first.”

In addition to the finance internship, Lydia still spends time working in the ink room. “I am fortunate to experience two very different jobs,” Lydia says. “Being able to observe and participate within both sides of the business is what really helps me stay motivated and refreshed throughout the week.”

• Learn about Carthage’s partnership with LMI Packaging
• Sign up to take a tour of LMI Packaging
• Register for The Aspire Conference