Lidcia Solis-Najera, '24, Business Administration

Lidcia Solis-Najera was walking from St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church back to the heart of Rockhurst’s campus with University Campus Ministry Director Bill Kriege when a casual conversation turned into a business opportunity.

Solis-Najera’s first language is Spanish, and the sophomore from the small, rural town of Lexington, Missouri, would soon be interviewing over Zoom for, and landing, an internship with Puente Marketing, a full-service advertising agency specializing in Hispanic markets.

Solis-Najera, an international business major with a minor in Spanish, admits she didn’t know what she was getting herself into, but she jumped at the opportunity.

“As a virtual internship," she said, "my duties include conducting social media research, translating from Spanish-to-English and vice versa, offering my feedback on projects and ideas, and creating possible social media posts for Puente’s clients.”

Puente gave Solis-Najera real-world experience she trusts will help her in her immediate and long-term future.

“I believe that in order to succeed you need to create a foundation to build yourself up from, and through my internship with Puente I am able to expand my experience and add to my foundation,” she said.

Solis-Najera said she ultimately hopes to work for an international firm or company either headquartered in the U.S. or abroad. She noted that a Rockhurst business degree will offer her a “broad array of opportunities.”

In her situation, a degree helps build her foundation, but it was the personal connection with Kriege that led to the Puente Marketing interview. The chance for connections like that is one of the reasons Solis-Najera chose to follow her sister, Deyanara, to Rockhurst.

“One of the main things I remember Deyanara emphasizing about Rockhurst was being a part of a tight-knit community who did not just consider you a number or statistic,” she said.

Since being at Rockhurst, Solis-Najera says she has been encouraged “to embrace the core values, to continue to grow as a person, and to be a leader.”

Having an example and connection on campus like the one with Bill Kriege certainly helps. In this case, it opened a door to build her career.

“We were just having a casual conversation, but it turned into a great opportunity,” Solis-Najera said. “Bill has always offered a helping hand and given encouragement when needed most!”