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If you asked Hoi-An Thai five years ago where he pictured starting his career, his answer wouldn’t have been in transportation. In fact, Hoi-An originally wanted to become a nurse.
He enrolled in college and started working toward a nursing degree in 2019. However, Hoi-An's career path changed course, leading him to an unexpected role at Schneider.
Searching for a new career
Seeking a change of pace after the COVID-19 pandemic, Hoi-An decided to reroute his career plans. He left school to figure out exactly what career he wanted to pursue.
While living with his cousin – who works in supply chain management and logistics – Hoi-An developed an interest in business.
That’s when things clicked: Hoi-An decided to enroll at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College. He pursued a business administration degree with a focus on supply chain management and logistics.
Receiving a Schneider scholarship
Hoi-An filled out several scholarship essays to receive financial assistance while in school. He said Schneider was one of the first organizations to respond to his application.
The Schneider Foundation distributes several scholarships to schools in the Green Bay area. Hoi-An received one of them.
The scholarship covered expenses for books and part of Hoi-An's tuition for the school year.
“The scholarship gave me more encouragement and hope to get back into school, and just receiving it did a lot for my confidence and self-esteem,” Hoi-An said.
Applying for an internship
Hoping to get a foot in the transportation industry, Hoi-An leveraged his connections to apply for and receive a supply chain management internship with Schneider.
Once again, though, Thai’s path took him a different direction.
When learning about other roles during his Schneider internship, Hoi-An found himself enjoying the world of human resources. That experience stuck with Hoi-An and helped get him where he is today: recruiting.
