Internship Spotlight: Kevin Tshilombo

UPDATE: In September, Kevin accepted a job offer from Microsoft, months before graduation!⁠
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He’ll start this summer as a product marketing manager at the Microsoft headquarters in Redmond, Washington. Read below about his internship last summer that turned into a full-time job!

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Recently we caught up with senior management and marketing major Kevin Tshilombo to learn more about his internship with Microsoft! 

Q: What are you doing for Microsoft this summer?

A: This summer I am a product marketing manager intern on the Web Operations Team under the Microsoft 356 & Security Group. I am working on improving their mobile strategy across their  products.office.com domain in hopes of improving user experience. There will be several tests done to see if our key metrics determine positive change in user experience based on my project. 

Q: How excited were you to get this internship? 

A: I was absolutely ecstatic when I got the news that I got accepted for this amazing opportunity! When the recruiter called me I even started crying a bit. It was emotional for me because I knew how many sacrifices my family made so that I could have an opportunity in life to be successful and this was such a huge step for me and my family. Gotta give it all up to God!

Q: What’s the coolest/most interesting thing you’ve done so far? 

A: The coolest thing I’ve done easily was meeting THE Satya Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft! I was touring the Executive Briefing Center with BSIX, a subgroup of Blacks at Microsoft (BAM) that is comprised of black interns, and all of the sudden we ran into Satya. He was just getting out of an Employee Q+A but he was nice enough to chat with us and encourage us in our journeys here at Microsoft. He even took a selfie with our group!

Q: Microsoft internships are really competitive. How did you get it?

A: Microsoft internships are extremely competitive. The program I am a part of, ACE Marketing, has cohorts of about 20-30 every year but there are over 1000 applications globally submitted yearly. The group of interns selected have strong marketing knowledge, have been tested in times of adversity, and are a culture fit with the company. That being said, I could not have been the candidate I was without the love, support, and teachings of those around me over my life. My Dad taught me a lot about discipline and pointed out opportunities in my life where I can grow not only academically but as a man. My Mom instilled the belief in me that I could do anything that I put my mind to and that God will always walk with me and be there. I also have to give credit to my teachers and professors over the years for pushing me to continuously learn and spending additional hours with me to make sure I understand the content. And, of course, I have to shout out Colleen Sump and the whole IDEA Center for helping me make my schedule work and advise me on classes I should take to get to where I wanted to be!

Q: What’s your dream career? 

A: My dream career is simply to be in a position where I can provide for my family and make a positive impact on the communities that I am around & a part of. Whether that’s being a CMO at a Fortune 500 company or being a life coach, I just want to do good. But if you had to pin me to one particular role, (Microsoft Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Vice President of Consumer Business) Chris Capossela’s job wouldn’t be bad!