Chole – Finance Internship and Conference
Chole – Finance Internship and Conference
03/09/2020 1:03 AM
Hi guys! I wanted to fill you guys in on my experience with internships & the professional world. I am a finance and marketing double major with a minor in management. All things business, are my forte.
I had a finance internship this summer at a finance firm, called KMS Financial and it was run out of Seattle, Washington. At this office, I worked as the transitions intern meaning that all of the paperwork that was filled out by clients was reviewed by me! Shocking! I know to find out that someone is actually reading that paperwork and seeing those horrendous signatures so keep that in mind next time you fill paperwork out. Anyways, I was able to learn so much during my time at the company about finance and financial documents!
When I was finished at my internship and it was time to return back to school I was in some ways devastated, these people had become more than just co-workers and I was going to miss the lunch break conversations. The nice thing about working for a small company is that you get to be involved in the organization and not just another number. Along with that, I talked to the CEO on multiple occasions and even am friends with her on Facebook now (if that doesn’t show friendship I don’t know what does)!
My new CEO friend encouraged me to apply to their parent organizations national women in finance conference since I was such a stellar employee all summer long. I decided to apply because why not? As you can probably guess by now, I got selected! Eek, it was so exciting. I was going to be in New Orleans, a place I had never been before and learning all things finance related. I was so excited.
At this conference, it would be all women, a couple hundred of them, and then 10 college females attending entirely on scholarship with mentors to learn about the finance world. It took place in New Orleans, Louisiana for three days in October. We stayed at the Roosevelt Hotel, which is GORGEOUS (after you are done reading this, go look up pictures) and about a block away from the infamous Bourbon Street.
I received a mentor, the vibrant and vigilant Vicky who was from my hometown and someone I have still kept in contact with. I plan on working for her all winter break and still communicate with her on a weekly basis. I also got to attend all of the breakout sessions and heard about finance topics along with the real-world adults. I learned about taxes, retirement planning, Social Security and even got to hear from an Olympic gold medalist swimmer.
Along with all the finance things happening at the conference we even got to explore the city and have some fun. Each morning the conference held a workout on the rooftop pool where we were able to watch the sunrise over the city in the nice warmth of Louisiana. We had an off-site dinner on Bourbon Street on the second night and got escorted by a full marching band all the way to the dinner. There were police cars blocking off the roads to make a path for us and everything. I felt so famous, people were clapping and taking pictures of us and we were throwing beads (as you do in NOLA) and princess waving the whole way there.
Every second of the conference was amazing beyond belief and all of my professors were all for it. I missed class and all of them encouraged it completely. That is one of the benefits of Bradley is all professors are for experiential learning and want the best for you. Classes are one aspect but the understanding and help from the professors is something beyond compare that I love about Bradley. My internship will take me far, my conference will take me far and all the knowledge I have gained from Bradley pushes me one step further. All of these factors put together give me full confidence that I can and will be successful in whatever direction I head in after Bradley. Go far, go Bradley.