Beauty and the Internship
A marketing major gets an insider’s view of the beauty industry with an internship at Ulta Beauty.
Alissa Bulaon ’19 has always had a passion for the cosmetics and beauty industry. This summer, she’s putting that passion to work with an internship at Ulta Beauty, the largest beauty retailer in the nation.
Her connection with Ulta dates back to sophomore year, when she spent a day shadowing the company’s marketing team. “It was an amazing experience,” says Bulaon, a double major in marketing and international business. “I was exactly where I wanted to be.”
The shadowing experience inspired Bulaon to pursue an internship with the company. Once she applied, she was called in for interviews within a week.
“I had three interviews—one with HR, then two at the corporate office,” Bulaon says. “Then I had an interview with their chief artistic director, Ammon Carver, who’s a celebrity of the beauty world. I was like, oh my gosh, I’m going to be talking to a famous person! The next day, they offered me the internship.”
As an intern on the salon operations team, Bulaon works closely with the company’s head of events to plan beauty shows and other events. A highlight was a recent trip to New York, where she helped organize and run an event for influencers.
“The event was all about inspiring Ulta’s hairstylists to get even better at what they do,” she says. “I made the arrangements for travel, catering and floral, and then at the event I helped make sure everything went smoothly.”
Bulaon says the internship has helped her clarify her career goals. “Being in school, you don’t really know what career routes are open to you,” Bulaon says. “At Ulta, I’ve been able to speak one-on-one to each of our team members about what they do and hear their stories. It’s just incredible how many different paths are available to me.”
My internship has been amazing—even better than I expected. It’s been my dream for such a long time, and to be living it every day is just unbelievable.”
—Alissa Bulaon ’19
Learn More About Career Experiences at Elmhurst
Posted Aug. 9, 2019