BEVERLY, Mass. – Endicott College is a pioneer in requiring comprehensive internship experiences in every program of study for undergraduate students. Hannah Risko (Albany, N.Y.), who is a finance major and a member of both the women's cross country and track & field programs, recently completed at Trustco Bank. Here's a look into her internship experience.
1) Why Trustco Bank?
I chose to do my internship at Trustco Bank this summer because they are a local bank in my community that has an impressive amount of assets. I have been a member of Trustco since I was a little kid, so doing my internship there seemed like a unique opportunity! Trustco has a really strong sense of community and integrity which I really respect. When I saw there was an opening in the headquarters of the accounting department, I jumped at it. My excitement was further confirmed when I was invited to participate in the annual 5k that they do at Trustco. As a runner for Endicott, it was really special to bring that aspect of my student life into the internship!
2) What was the process like to obtain your internship?
I began seriously searching for an internship after spring break concluded. It was early April and I was having trouble finding positions that accepted younger students and didn't have hundreds of applicants. I decided to start looking at local banks and firms thinking they might be a little less competitive pool-size-wise, as well as interested in working with a student from the local area. When I heard that Trustco often did internship programs in various departments, I reached out to the vice president of Human Resources. He was listed as being in charge of all seasonal employees/interns, and responded with all the openings they had, after an interview process done mostly over the phone/Zoom (because I was away at school), I was offered the position.
3) Describe your overall internship experience.
My overall experience at Trustco was a good one. I enjoyed the employees and being at headquarters was really neat. I had the CFO and two vice presidents right in my office that I regularly interacted with. This internship was very hands-on, as I was left to do work independently for a majority of it. I appreciated being able to work through things on my own, it really gave me a feel for what being in that type of environment would be like. Whenever I had questions or needed assistance on a task, I had multiple people to turn to.
4) What have you learned from your internship?
In all honesty, I learned that accounting might not be the perfect job for me. As much as I got out of this experience, it also dawned on me that I want a job where group work and collaboration are essential. In accounting, a lot of the day-to-day tasks are done solo, which can be efficient, but not as rewarding. Certainty there are rewarding aspects to the job, but I am looking for an environment where my mind will be challenged by new situations every day. Along with this new outlook, I learned a lot of good soft skills and general office tasks at Trustco. Having an internship really helped me shake off nerves surrounding professionalism and the professional environment in general.
5) How will this internship help you in your career moving forward?
Along with looking good on a resume, this internship will give me more specific direction in job-searching. Even for my semester-long internship, I will have a better idea of what type of position I want to be in. The soft skills, independence, and professionalism I acquired at Trustco will hopefully set me up for success in my future through Endicott's internship program. Even if you don't find your dream job on the first try, you at least find something you don't want to do for a career, and that's totally fine. Many people even halfway through their working life will switch directions. This internship gave me insight into what path I should really take in the future.
6) What skills were you able to apply from your academic background at Endicott directly into the internship with Trustco Bank?
At Trustco, I was responsible for a few semi-annual projects that the department had to fulfill. These projects included using various systems of technology like those I learned about in Business Computers. Microsoft Excel, and Word, among other financial service systems, were essential in these tasks, so I was glad to see my coursework prove useful in a real job setting. Along with computer basics, my general knowledge of financial accounting definitely helped me through these projects at Trustco. Obviously, the courses lay down the foundation for you, but it's still very useful to already recognize the jargon and basic patterns in accounting.
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(Photo Credit - Hannah Risko/David Le '10)