In Their Own Words: Students Reflect on Their Summer Internships

Hello my name is Jay M. Walters Jr. I'm a senior here at Rockhurst University. I'm studying Communication Studies and Political Science (Pre-Med, Pre-Law). The internship that I took up with the Co-op Program was with Walters, Inc. This internship nonetheless was extremely difficult, but it was well worth it. I gained a vast amount of knowledge, pride, integrity, and strength. I've been able to interact with different customers, vendors and workers. My communication skills have greatly developed. This internship opened my eyes to the world in a way I never had viewed it. It allowed me to see that being a business owner is extremely hard but that it can be done. It takes a lot of time, effort, hard work and dedication to be successful in whatever you do life. – Jay Walters Jr.

Magis… pay it forward. If there is one thing I have developed through my experience at Rockhurst, it is a dedication to striving for excellence.  With each hurdle conquered we must continue to set the bar higher, often in spite of great difficulty.  It is a passion to succeed and to serve as leaders that allows us to better understand ourselves, others, and our world.  With the undertaking of a job to audit the university water bills, I saw an opportunity to give back to my alma mater and perhaps return the enormous favor Rockhurst had afforded me.  The interpersonal, mathematical, and analytical skills gained from my college experience have molded me into an effective contributor, team player, and problem solver well-suited for the job.  So far I have recovered over $160,000 in undue charges from the water company. I have spent this summer staying fit, learning Spanish, reading books, hanging with friends, balancing two jobs, beating cancer… and reflecting on all the good fortune and great people in my life.  Thank you Rockhurst, for pushing me to strive for excellence and to become a well-rounded individual.  May we continue to pay it forward.
 – Alex “Cody” Schuler

I’m Alex Shada and I am a recruiting manager for Farmers Insurance.  A typical day for me starts when I get to work at 9:00 AM. The first thing I have to do is refresh our job postings on CareerLink. Depending on the day, we may have a morning meeting. Next I have to search resumes on CareerBuilder and Monster for good qualified candidates. From there I reach out to them about possible job opportunities. I ask them a few questions and if they can communicate effectively, I schedule them for interviews. The last part of my job is conducting the first round interviews. Here I go more in-depth with questions and what they would be doing in this position. If they were intelligent and would be a good fit for our team, I pass them along to our district manager who does the 2^nd round interviews and application process. I make a few more phone calls and leave after 5:00 PM. All in all I enjoy my new job and look forward to a better future from here. – Alex Shada

Accounting Internship at PwC... by anonymous student

A summer internship is a great way to ease into the accounting business. Engagement teams have had time to cool down from the busy season and the PwC employees are eager to meet their interns. There is still plenty of work to do but there are also a lot of great team building activities and events. These can be community service projects at Harvesters or the Kansas City Zoo, Promotion Day, and happy hour at some of the nearby restaurants.

If one is looking for an internship at any public accounting firm, it is important to plan ahead. Even as a sophomore or junior it is not too early to start looking into programs like PwC’s Elevate. This is a two-day interview process which I completed the summer before my senior year, a year before the start of my internship. It really helped me learn about PwC, their people and the atmosphere of a public accounting firm. Several of the people at PwC who I met at Elevate are now some of my colleagues and it really helps to have those established relationships.

An internship at PwC is an experience of a lifetime. It will provide any willing person with the opportunity to learn from some of the best accountants in the business. One of the unique parts of working at PwC is the people; they are excited to answer all my questions. Selecting samples, performing tests and documenting work is much different when on a client site, as compared to sitting in an audit class. In an audit class it is common to learn about all the tests, such as statistical tests or non-statistical, but at PwC you get to apply the knowledge which you have learned in school. The biggest difference is the interaction with the client, such as asking for supporting documentation or completing a walkthrough of a control. As an auditor, it is not uncommon to spend most of your time in the office of several different clients. It is important to have a positive attitude which can help in the timeliness of obtaining documents and evidence as quick as possible. - anonymous student