USM Marketing Student Earns Prestigious Lilly Sales Internship

Wed, 02/22/2023 - 04:38pm | By: Van Arnold

Madison Calkins, a marketing student at The University of Southern Mississippi (USM), has been selected for the prestigious Eli Lilly Sales Internship program to begin this summer.

The internship is a 10-week program designed to give students real world experience in pharmaceutical sales. The internship consists of sales training at Lilly Corporate Headquarters in Indianapolis, IN and field-based training in an assigned territory. 

Calkins, a junior from Daphne, Ala., is pursuing a BSBA in marketing with a minor in social media content and strategy. She is also studying to obtain a professional selling certificate.

“I am so honored to have been chosen as a Lilly intern, and I cannot wait to learn the ins and outs of their company alongside other interns from across the country,” said Calkins. “The opportunity to work with such a respectable company is incredibly exciting, and I look forward to representing Southern Miss Business this summer.”

Calkins is a member of Beta Gamma Sigma, the Cintas Business Student Ambassadors, Order of Omega, American Marketing Association, and Chi Omega Fraternity. She currently serves as the College of Business and Economic Development Dean’s Office marketing intern and the College Panhellenic Council’s Vice President of Recruitment.

Kelli King, Assistant Teaching Professor and Program Coordinator for the Healthcare Marketing program at USM, expressed pride in Calkins’ achievement as well as previous USM students who have participated in the Lilly Sales Internship.

“The professional experience the Lilly internship provides is invaluable to students with interests in the pharmaceutical industry. I have no doubt Madison will be successful in this internship,” said King.

Internships are the primary entry point into a sales career at Lilly, with many interns receiving full-time offers. As a new sales team member, interns will sell across multiple disease focus areas, while choosing a unique career path that suits their interests and skills. The experience includes:

• Promoting Lilly’s products to health care professionals
• Conducting analyses on product and market trends
• Developing and executing territory business plans
• Coordinating efforts with territory partners in a team environment

Eli Lilly and Company is an American pharmaceutical company headquartered in Indianapolis, IN, with offices in 18 countries. Its products are sold in approximately 125 countries. The company was founded in 1876 by, and named after, Colonel Eli Lilly, a pharmaceutical chemist and veteran of the American Civil War.