This past spring I had the pleasure to intern for the financial aid office. For those twelve weeks, I have learned many helpful skills that will help my career as a Financial Advisor. This experience was something new to me and Kathy Flaherty made it possible. She gave me experience in parts of the office that I was not aware of.
The purpose of this internship was to create professional relationships to better understand emotions and attitudes. I also wanted to improve my interpersonal and communication skills. I felt like I accomplished this and actually created professional relationships with the staff. It has taught me information about paying off loans to getting a job. I was given the opportunity to attend meetings and learn how to speak to family members in uncomfortable situations. This helped me find out that I like the consulting portion of being a financial advisor.
A program that I learned throughout this experience is called Banner. The financial aid advisors use this to view students financial awards and to adjust any unmet needs. As well, I was giving many small projects like identifying those students who had unmet needs to attending open houses.
My favorite part of this internship was learning about the staff’s career journey. I enjoyed listening and expressing my own interest in becoming a financial advisor and getting their advice. My experience of being an intern was exceptional. Everything I learned was invaluable. I just can’t wait to get to the point where I am comfortable enough to do it on my own. I know my homework is to become more familiarized with the technical terms and being able to communicate it with my peers. I am very appreciative and cannot wait for what is to come.