The Journey
My journey to my internship started when I was accepted into the Sophomore Leaders Overnight Retreat trip hosted by the iSchool. Only 12 selected sophomores are chosen to go on this fully sponsored road trip. The trip which provided an insight into Ernst and Young (EY) and Microsoft’s main offices at New York City.
I entered the trip with a blank slate about EY because I was eager to learn more about the company. We had the opportunity to visit EY’s Chelsea Innovation Center. At the location, we learned about the different technological projects that EY has been involved with for the past year.
Professional Development
We then travelled to EY’s Times Square office to receive professional development and consulting/advisory tips and tricks from iSchool’s Board member and EY’s partner, Gregg Raimann. An alumni networking event followed the presentation at the Times Square Office.
At the event, we were able to network with over 25+ alumni. The alumni event helped me foster connections with alumni who provided me with insights about EY and advice for my academic career.
The next day we visited EY’s Innovation Office at Broadway. The main focus here is UX/UI, a creative office with vibrant ideas bouncing across the room. This marked the end of the trip with EY. But the networks and advice followed me on to the next couple of months.
A month later, EY invited me to a dinner to connect with more alumni and learn about their experiences and growth from the time to they left Syracuse. It was a great insight into EY’s work style. I learned a lot about the company’s projects and what workplace environment.
Afterwards, I applied to the Launch Program at EY for San Jose California. I received an invitation to complete a video interview in February. In the middle of March I received a phone call to schedule a two additional live video interviews.
Involvement Matters
A couple of days after my final video interview, I received the exciting news. I got the internship for summer 2019!
My involvement with the iSchool did not end there. With the help of my iSchool and Psychology department research study and with the involvement of various iSchool clubs such as BeIT, Women in Technology and participating at Innovate Orange, I understood the values and culture of the iSchool which further helped me in my interview with EY.
I also spoke about organizational behavior and systems analysis techniques such as System Development Life Cycle during my interview with EY to explain the benefits of customer return analysis at a corporation.
Attending the Sophomore Leaders Retreat not only helped me gain insight into the corporate world of Ernst and Young while networking with alumni who faced similar situations as mine at Syracuse University.
Going into this retreat, I felt unsure if I wanted to pursue Information Management Technology, but going out of the retreat I feel so confident and passionate about my skills and abilities to further pursue my degree into a full time job.
