Packers’ CEO drafts UW-Oshkosh, NWTC students as No. 1 and 2 picks at Internship Draft Day | Green Bay Press Gazette

GREEN BAY — Over 155 students from across Wisconsin and northern Michigan worked to impress company recruiters, vying to be the No. 1 draft pick and get a $1,500 scholarship at the Northeast Wisconsin Manufacturing Alliance’s Internship Draft Day on Thursday.

Held at Lambeau Field, the event gave students the opportunity to participate in six interview and networking sessions with more than 53 companies like Green Bay Packaging, KI, Schreiber Foods and Shopko Optical Manufacturing.

The event was reminiscent of the NFL Draft as students went round for round showcasing skills to potential employers as a referee circled the interview field, blowing his whistle as each round came to a close.

Packers’ CEO Mark Murphy was the special guest who announced the overall No. 1 and 2 draft picks for the day, as well as the top picks for each of the over seven colleges — or perhaps more appropriate, each college team.

Samuel Dick of the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh was named the top overall draft pick, receiving a $1,500 scholarship for the 2023 spring semester.

Northeast Wisconsin Technical College’s Katelyn Desrochers snagged the No. 2 spot and a $500 scholarship. After getting a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from UW-Green Bay, Desrochers is now in her penultimate semester of her associate’s degree in automation engineering technology.

“It’s been a really, really great opportunity, and I actually came here tonight because I guess, I’ll just go for it,” Desrochers said. “I didn’t think I was going to be No. 2, for sure.”

Aside from winning a top spot, her favorite part of the day was making employer connections.

“It’s been really, really cool to be able to continue to network and share my passion for engineering with other recruiters and see where that takes me,” Desrochers said.

This was the first time a student from NWTC was one of the top two draft picks for the event, according to organizers.

Internship hopefuls got points based on their academic standing, extracurricular involvement and interview performances, with bonus points awarded to those who were tapped as a company’s Most Valuable Interview.

A draft board loomed over the interview booths, naming the top three draft spots for each college or university after each round so students could check their rankings throughout the day.

The event is a fun, local take on a traditional career fair, connecting young professionals with manufacturing companies looking for new talent.

Here are the top draft picks for each college category:

University of Wisconsin-Green Bay:

• Scott Kopfmann

University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh:

• Samuel Dick

University of Wisconsin-Platteville:

• Samuel Geitt

University of Wisconsin-Stout:

• Darren Byl

Northeast Wisconsin Technical College:

• Katelyn Desrochers

Fox Valley Technical College:

• Bhuwan Tiwari

Northern Michigan University:

• Garrett Wolak

All other universities: UW-Madison, UW-Milwaukee, UW-Stevens Point, Lawrence University and Lakeland University:

• Brenna Schoenebeck

All other colleges: St. Norbert College, Ripon College, Lakeshore Technical College, ITT Technical Institute

• Catherine Holcombe

Source: Packers’ CEO names college students as Internship Draft Day picks