The time between applying for a job at global logistics company DHL and being hired as a full-time implementation specialist felt like a whirlwind process to Florida Polytechnic University senior Valerie Fontanez.
Only one week after applying, the data science major was called for an interview – which was then followed by three next-round interviews just days apart.
“I never expected to experience anything like that,” said Fontanez, who finishes her final semester on Friday, Dec. 12, and begins her new remote role on Dec. 15. “They were really attentive during the entire process.”
In her new, high-paying position, Fontanez will be responsible for onboarding client information for a wide range of DHL’s corporate customers, ensuring critical details like billing addresses and shipping preferences are accurately captured by the system. Her position involves coordinating with large and small companies alike to support smooth logistics operations within one of the world’s largest and most successful logistics providers.
“I’m excited to apply my skill set and expand it at DHL as I grow with the company,” said Fontanez, from Aibonito, Puerto Rico. “It’s a company full of opportunities.”
Fontanez, who will return to Florida Poly for the Spring 2026 semester to pursue a master’s degree in engineering management, said she was ready to prove herself as the best candidate for DHL from the moment she sent in her resume.
“I believe you have to trust yourself and be authentic. No one else can be you, so use that to stand out wherever you go,” she said. “I also work really hard and I like to challenge myself to do a lot because I want to do everything in life.”
As Fontanez heads toward a bright career, Florida Poly will reap the benefits of her hard work for years to come. As a student worker in Auxiliary Enterprises since her freshman year, she took on the challenge of analyzing on-campus parking data to identify use trends and projections for the future.
The work was so promising that it prompted the cancellation of a $102,000 contract with a firm ready to undertake the project. Her detailed analysis was submitted earlier this semester.
Dr. Devin Stephenson, Florida Poly’s president, highlighted Fontanez’s successes with both DHL and the parking study during a Florida Poly Board of Trustees meeting on Nov. 19.
“Valerie produced insights that are now guiding our parking projections and scheduling our strategies,” Stephenson said. “We found her results far exceeded our expectations and delivered insights that we believe are more tailored, actionable and cost-effective than the external contractor could have done.”
“Valerie, I think you are the personification of this institution and what we produce,” he continued.
Fontanez used parking data dating back to 2018 to inform her analysis and said she approached the project as she would any other, though she was surprised to see how well it was received.
“I was asked to deliver this report and I thought, ‘OK, consider it done!’” she said. “When I heard they canceled that contract and how much they liked it, I was so happy. It showed I did what I always try to do: prove myself and do a good job.”
Contact:
Lydia Guzmán
Director of Communications
863-874-8557
