The Basics
Hey, everyone. My name is Josh Kleinman and I am one of the newest interns given the amazing opportunity to work at DSM! I’m 19 years old, which may make me the youngest employee to ever work at DSM. I recently finished my sophomore year at Syracuse University in the Whitman School of Management. I’m currently pursuing a dual major of entrepreneurship and finance (I know…where’s the marketing?). I would say I’m pretty lucky to have started in DSM’s beautiful, brand new office in Mahwah. I have learned more here during my first week than in my first two years at Syracuse’s business school. I guess the knowledge gained from hands-on experience does outweigh what you can learn in a classroom. It goes without saying, however, that what I did learn at Syracuse was necessary and provided a great base to build upon.
Growing Up
I grew up in northern NJ and spent the majority of my time with my dad and sister. I look at my dad as a best friend because he acts younger than me, but more importantly, because I know I can talk to him about anything and he will always be there to help. I’m just as close with my sister and only sibling, Jesse, who is three years older than me.
Anyway, if you weren’t able to tell yet… I was born to love business! I would attribute a great deal of my passion to my entrepreneurial father and the example he set with his devotion to his company. This instilled some business characteristics in me as I became the first student to take every single business education course that my high school offered. That may sound like work overload, but playing varsity football at the same time taught me more about time management than anything else I’ve done in my life. When I started my college search, the most important criteria was a good business school. This held true when I applied to Syracuse’s school of management, which has climbed the top rankings over the past few years.
How Do I Spend My Free Time?
When it comes to free time, I’m a pretty diverse and unique person. I’ll start with the more common traits and activities. I am an avid animal lover and have been my whole life. The list of pets that I’ve owned is too long for this blog post, so I’ll only list a few: ant farm, tadpole aquariums, a bearded dragon lizard, a guinea pig, eight frogs, a bird and a snake. When I was young, I would even come back from day camp with living frogs, cupped in my hands, so I could have a new pet. If you’re wondering if my house smells like a zoo, don’t worry; I only have one rabbit and one dog right now. They’re best friends. Fun Fact: It’s impossible for me to walk by a dog without petting it and distance is never an issue.
Another obsessive interest I have is my love for cars. I love following the advancements of the automotive world and waiting for the newest models to release. (Side note: I never thought a car could make me cry until last week at the Greenwich Concours D’elegance. I finally got to see my dream car in person: the Pagani Huayra. It was a very moving moment. Don’t judge.)
Moving on to some hobbies of mine… I love to go snowboarding every winter which may have played a part in choosing the snowiest city in the country for college. I have yet to head out to the mountains on the west coast but I’m hoping to go soon. I also took up kiteboarding with my dad about four years ago, which is the best sport in the entire world. It’s much harder to find the time and place for kiteboarding but when you do, it’s very rewarding. (Watch this amazing video if you want to educate yourself on kiteboarding.)
One of my most unique hobbies that I recently started practicing is glassblowing. After a year of working with the torch, I began glassblowing in the fall, took a course in the spring at Syracuse, and am enrolled in another glassblowing course for next fall. For me, glassblowing is a form of meditation. It is a game of patience and sitting in front of the flame for a couple of hours gets relaxing.
From the first time I walked into DSM’s office, everyone immediately made me feel comfortable and welcomed. I’m so excited about my future at DSM and all the new things I will learn. If I’ve already learned this much in one week, I can’t wait to see how much I will learn during the rest of my time here!
