Running toward success: How BGSU sophomore Luke Lesseuer balances Division I athletics and high-level internships

Division I cross-country athlete is leveraging his business analytics coursework to secure back-to-back internships with global industry leaders

By Branden Ferguson

Luke Lesseuer is only a sophomore at Bowling Green State University, but he is already moving at a record pace. In just two years, Lesseuer has found success as a Division I cross-country runner, excelled within the Schmidthorst College of Business and secured two high-profile internships that are fast-tracking his career in business analytics and intelligence.

When he isn't training for grueling 8K and 10K races, Lesseuer, a Shelby, Ohio native, is usually in the classroom mastering SQL (Structured Query Language) or competing in business simulations. That dedication led him to a finance internship at ArcelorMittal, the world's leading steel and mining company.

"During the internship, I started out helping with small things like budgeting and building financial reports," Lesseuer said. "I quickly proved myself and was put in charge of reporting discrepancies between production and financial software. The reports I created helped company leadership make informed decisions."

His impact was so immediate that what began as a summer internship evolved into a year-round role. ArcelorMittal offered him a part-time position, allowing him to work remotely while maintaining his full-time course load and athletic schedule at BGSU.

Lesseuer's momentum didn't stop there. While attending the BGSU Career Fair in the fall, a conversation with a recruiter from Honda turned into his next big opportunity.

"I was talking to the representative about my experience and previous internship, and we surprisingly connected over cross-country," Lesseuer said. "He was a middle school coach, and that personal connection led to a successful conversation."

That connection and Lesseuer's technical background resulted in a second internship offer. This summer, he will join the quality department at Honda's Marysville plant to perform quality analytics.

"This is another opportunity of a lifetime," Lesseuer said. "Honda is providing the chance to gain even more real-world experience at a massive scale."

Though he was initially drawn to BGSU by the tight-knit culture of the cross-country team, Lesseuer said the University as a whole has exceeded every expectation he had as a recruit.

"This is the greatest experience I could have asked for," Lesseuer said. "People ask me if I would change anything about coming to BG or if I would ever think about transferring, and the answer is – no way. BGSU is where I want to be. I made the right choice when I chose to become a Falcon."