Author: Jamie Stamey

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An Inspiring Summer in the Big Apple

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Original post written by Boluwatife Odumosu ’17, participant in the DavidsonIE Internship Program.

If anyone told me three years ago that I would one day have the privilege of living and working in New York City, I would immediately have laughed at them. The reason being, before arriving at Davidson College, certain opportunities seemed more like fairy tales, or wishful thinking. Yet the past couple of years have been a massive testament of how my Davidson education has enlightened and exposed me to very remarkable experiences and learning opportunities that have, without a doubt, built the person I am today.

The Davidson IE internship opportunity with Exubrancy is yet another powerful contribution to my professional, intellectual and personal growth and development. The past few weeks have been a series of unexpected encounters, unfathomable challenges, inspirations and personal investment. At no other point in my life have I been more conscious of my future aspirations and of myself. This city does that to you. I believe with everyone so determined and hungry here, I definitely have felt more inspired to be a better ‘me’ this summer. To really explain what the summer has been like so far, I have decided to break down my reflection into two categories: experiences within the workplace, and those beyond the workplace.

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Trial by Fire

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Original post written by Molly Mathes ’17, participant in the DavidsonIE Internship Program.

Only two weeks of my internship had passed when I heard “trial by fire,” a phrase that I hadn’t realized I was missing until a prospective member jokingly described my job as such. I laughed it off but quickly realized how appropriately it described the way I was feeling early on. I’m now in my fourth week as the Community Ambassador for HQ Charlotte at Packard Place, a co-working facility and entrepreneurship hub at the heart of the quickly growing Charlotte start-up scene. Known as simply Packard Place when it was founded five years ago, Packard recently merged with HQ Community and joined several other HQ locations with the hope of becoming the premiere co-working network throughout the Southeast. The environment is fast-paced and full of new challenges each day, a feeling that straddles the line between energizing and overwhelming, especially during the first couple of weeks.

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A Chemistry Major Ready for Anything

Chem-Lab-1-702x336@2xOriginal story written by Adam Green ’17, participant in the DavidsonIE Internship Program.

My first month at MicroSio (which will undergo a name change soon) has been a really enjoyable learning experience. I’ve been tasked with everything from market research to designing experiments in the lab, and I’ve found my Davidson liberal arts education extremely helpful in preparing me for a Swiss Army knife-type of role within the company. At MicroSio, we make silicone microspheres for encapsulating active ingredients in cosmetic products in order to control their release onto the skin, and as I’ve become more comfortable with the preparation and properties of these microspheres, I’ve been allowed more freedom to experiment.

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What Does a Classics Major Know About Coding?

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Original post written by Amanda Lee ’17, participant in the DavidsonIE Internship Program.

My fall semester spent studying environmental policy in the EU opened my eyes to the intricacies and excitement of the energy industry. After one semester of readings and lectures, as well as a trip to the Paris Climate Summit, I was hooked. I knew I wanted to pursue an internship in the energy industry.

Great for me, right? I finally had an answer to the painful question, “What do you want to do after graduation?” The issue, however, was that I’m a classics major. I study Latin and Attic Greek; I read philosophy as homework; I perform poetry in Latin for tests. The energy industry, especially renewable energy, relies heavily on complex geographic information systems, data mapping, and countless hours of data manipulation and coding. I’m not even allowed to bring computers to some of my classes. I was overwhelmed with self-doubt as I filled out applications: Thoughts like, “This is a waste of time,” and “no one is going to take me seriously” stopped me mid-page in my cover letters. After all, what does a classics major know about geospatial coding?

 

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Wildcats in Washington: Where Passion Meets PR

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Original story written by Victoria Frost ’18, participant in the Davidson in Washington program.

This summer, I am interning at PR Collaborative, a small “boutique” public relations firm in Washington, D.C., serving clients in both policy and film. As a policy intern, I mostly work with foundations and campaigns addressing public health issues.

Working for an alumna, Kate Reuterswärd ’09, has been such a privilege. She is the quintessential Davidson grad—a spectacular leader, an innovative visionary and a passionate hard worker. She pushes me to edit and acquire new skills in an environment of endless learning and creative thinking. For example, once a week we gather as a policy team to show each other a new skill, a useful tool or an interesting article…

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Somebody Get Me a Dictionary

charleston-702x336Original story written by Will Naso ’18, participant in the DavidsonIE Internship Program.

In typical Davidson fashion, I don’t really know what I’m doing – but I’m attempting to work it out. Over the past two weeks, I have been thrust into the business world, wholly unprepared for the challenges and breadth of acronyms that awaited me.

I arrived on day one to this tiny office off Johnny Dodd Boulevard with three IKEA desks and a few guys in flip-flops. My first thought was, “Is this what business executives look like?” But I quickly learned that when working for high-powered entrepreneurs, office décor had no affect on daily operations…

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Lessons Learned from Job Shadowing

Tiffany Ruan

Hi! My name is Tiffany Ruan and I’m a current junior at Davidson. I’m majoring in chemistry, concentrating in biochemistry, and I’m also on the premed track. I had my first experience with shadowing last year with a physician assistant at the Access Community Health Network in Chicago.

My experience last year was amazing; I had the opportunity to talk with the PA about his Davidson experience and how he had decided to become a PA. I also had the opportunity to see the interactions between the PA and his patients and I also interacted with the patients myself. Before the shadowing began, I made a list of questions that I wanted to ask the PA. I also did some research on what the clinic’s goal was in order to help their patients. If it is a career you’re interested in pursuing, I think it’s important to ask what the alumni did after Davidson that led them onto their career path.

From my shadowing experience, I learned that although the job can be repetitive (pull out the patient’s files, see the patient, and plug the data into a computer), every patient is different and you will be able to witness different interactions between the patient and the PA (or the interactions between whoever you are shadowing and a client, customer, etc.). The PA had friendly conversations with some of his patients while other conversations were solely surrounding the patient’s checkup.

This year, I will be shadowing at GBCHealth, a non-profit global health organization, in New York. Again, I will be making a list of questions to ask the person I’m shadowing so I can learn more about the global health sector since that is a career I’m interested in pursuing. I’m also going to make sure I dress more appropriately this time around. I wore casual jeans and a sweater with boots to shadow the PA last year and I felt underdressed since my PA was in dress pants, a dress shirt, dress shoes, and a tie. It really depends on where you are shadowing. If you’re shadowing at a business firm, an investment bank, a clinic, or something in a very professional setting, I’d recommend wearing dress pants, a dress shirt, dress shoes, and a tie if you’re a guy, or dress pants, a nice top, and flats if you’re a girl.

Before going in to shadow, I’d make a list of questions that you want to ask the person you’re shadowing. I would also do some research on the organization at which you are shadowing. Coming in prepared and knowing about the organization is key to making a good first impression because that may be where you will be working in the future. Also, DO NOT text, Snapchat, go on Facebook, tweet, or anything of that sort while you are shadowing. I left my phone in my backpack at the break room the entire time. You want to show that you’re interested in learning about the organization you are shadowing. Additionally, if you have your mind set on a career, do not let a bad shadowing experience change your mind. Do additional shadowing at other places because every organization is different. If the shadowing experience is just an opportunity to see if the career is worth pursuing, do not go in acting like you have no interest in the organization. Make sure to go in with an open mind!

Good luck to everyone shadowing this winter break! It’ll definitely give you a perspective of what type of career you want to pursue.

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Davenport & Company: On-Campus Recruiting

DavenportEstablished in 1863, Davenport & Company LLC is one of the oldest employee-owned, independent financial services firms in America. Headquartered in Richmond, VA, the firm offers a complete range of investment services, including comprehensive stock and bond brokerage, investment management, research, financial planning, insurance, public finance, and corporate finance.

On Tuesday, November 17, Chazzo Habliston ’13 will join us on-campus to share information about the public finance internship with Davenport.  Andrew Pope ’16, participated in this internship during the summer of 2015 and answered a few questions for us.  If you are interested in applying to this opportunity, visit the full description in Handshake.  Applications are due November 28 at 11:59pm.

Andrew Pope '16 Economics major
Andrew Pope ’16
Economics major

How would you describe Davenport’s work environment to someone who doesn’t know?

The vibe in the Davenport offices really exemplifies some of the pros of working at a smaller firm. Primarily, this was shown through the interdepartmental relationships that Davenport employees have with others at the company.  During my internship specifically, I was working in the Public Finance division, but was urged to spend time in other parts of the firm in order to really understand the way a financial services firm works.

In terms of my work with the Public Finance group, I was given a chance to really fulfill some of the jobs that the full time analysts were expected to complete. I started my internship a few weeks before they on-boarded a new analyst and our learning processes and responsibilities were very similar. The faith that they showed in my abilities was extremely important in learning to take some pride in what I was doing. Senior bankers were always asking how the process was going for me and offered their help with any questions that I may have.

What did an average workday look like?

I usually got to work around 7:45am and spent the morning working on the long-term project that I was given for the summer. Around 10, the Associate or Analyst that I was assigned to for the week would come to my desk and talk to me about the project that they were working on at the moment. Usually these projects were financial analysis for clients about refunding bonds or a quickly approaching issuance of new bonds. The banker I was working for would then explain what they would like me to do over the next couple of days and give me several tasks to have completed by the end of the week. From that point on, I worked closely with the associate assigned to the project until it was completed.

What advice would you give other Davidson students interested in applying to Davenport?

I recommend getting in touch with people at the company. They can give you a realistic expectation of what a full time opportunity with the company looks like. I would also recommend practicing any technical skills you have so that you can complete any work that they give you in a timely manner. Lastly, attention to detail is something that is taken to the next level at a company that stresses quality service like Davenport does.

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Huron Consulting Group: A New (to Davidson) Name in Consulting

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Huron Consulting Group stands out as one of the fastest growing financial and operational consulting firms in the industry, serving clients in the healthcare, education, legal, life sciences, and business advisory sectors. The Davidson-Huron relationship began with the Healthcare practice in 2014-15 when we shared their summer internship opportunity. After a successful first run with Haley Rhodes ’16 during the summer of 2015, Huron Healthcare is back! This time, the practice is recruiting for their full-time Consulting Analyst positions.

In an effort to help Davison students get better acquainted with the practice, we connected with current recruiting coordinator, Megan Krizmanich. Megan began her career with Huron after graduating from The University of Notre Dame and served three years as a consultant before transitioning to her current role. Students will have the opportunity to meet Megan on-campus Monday, September 21 for an information session at 7:30pm in Alvarez 209. She will also be conducting one-on-one informational interviews on Tuesday, September 22 – limited space is available for these interviews.  The deadline for the full-time Huron Healthcare Consulting Analyst position is September 30.

We also reached out to Haley Rhodes ’16 to learn about her experience with the summer internship program. Haley, a graduating senior double majoring in Public Health and Hispanic Studies, spent some time speaking with CCD Employer Relations Ambassador, Chelsea Alexander ’18.

Read on for portions of our Q&As with Megan and Haley to learn more about Huron Consulting Group. We hope to see you in-person Monday at 7:30pm in Alvarez 209.

 

CCD: What drew you personally to the Healthcare Consulting role when you started at Huron? 

Megan Krizmanich: I started my undergraduate studies confident I was going to medical school, but I quickly changed my mind after standing in on my first surgery… I was still very passionate about the healthcare industry, but wanted to focus more on the business side.  Huron Healthcare fit the mold and after I met with people at the firm, I was sold!

 

CCD: How would you describe Huron’s work environment to someone who doesn’t know?

Haley Rhodes: A lot like Davidson culture. Collaborative. Immediately the team wanted me to succeed. They gave me a lot of responsibility from the first day and allowed me to do hospital unit observations on my own in the hospital once they knew I was comfortable. It gave me a lot of confidence. My teammates would say, “Come sit next to me, I’ll teach you how to do this analysis in Excel and whenever you have a question just ask.” I also had a development meeting every week with my supervisor where she would ask what I wanted to learn and what things I had done that I really enjoyed.

 

CCD: What did an average workday look like for you in the internship?

Haley: Monday and Thursday were travel days. I would wake up and go to the airport—a lot of the team traveling from Chicago would go on a plane together, then work out of the team room in our hotel. Then, we would do observations in the hospital and go on rounds or be in the team room doing projects, doing analyses or talking with our client counterparts. Other days, we would work at the hospital—leave from the hotel, go to the hospital, and work in the corporate room of the hospital and talk and lead trainings or conduct observations.

 

CCD: What is a common mistake you see candidates make during the application process?

Megan: Candidates tend to get caught up in selling themselves and can come across insincere.  Recognize that recruiting is a two way street; it is a chance for employers to learn more about your background, but at the same time it is a chance for you to learn more about companies and determine if it is a fit for you too.

 

CCD: Aside from academic experience, is there anything you particularly look for on a resume?  

Megan: Extracurricular; being involved at school, in your community, during the summer, etc.  A big challenge in consulting is time management.  If you are involved in extracurricular and successful in school, it clearly demonstrates that you already possess time management skills.

 

CCD: What advice would you give other Davidson students interested in applying to Huron?

Haley: I recommend reaching out to people at the firm to understand what it is like to be a consultant because the lifestyle is one to consider. I would also suggest practicing and honing organizational and quantitative skills, being comfortable with numbers and analysis, and taking initiative because I think doing that helped me to stand out.