Year: Senior
Hometown/State: New Hampton, IA
Company/Organization: First Citizens Bank
Title: Retail Intern
Location: New Hampton, IA
Describe your internship responsibilities:
My summer 2019 internship allowed me to focus on retail but also get a feel for a lot of different areas of the bank. I gained a basic understanding on financial principles and practices by getting hands-on experience handling and processing cash, check, transfer, and statement transactions, as well as balancing ledgers on computer software systems. In addition, I was able to oversee areas in personal banking, consumer lending, real estate lending, ag lending, credit analysis, and document processing.
What did you enjoy most about this internship?
By working within a bank located in a rural community, I had the opportunity to develop meaningful relationships with the customers I was privileged to work with. Being able to know people by their first name and be trusted with the situations they were going through was a great experience for me. Often times, the first step to pursuing your next big dream begins at your local bank. This helped show me how instrumental financial institutions truly are in the successes of a local community.
How has this experience impacted your future career plans?
This internship really helped me identify the passions I have in the area of finance. I was able to develop a broader understanding of how truly important the role is that banks play in helping agriculture remain successful. In the future, I hope to continue to submerse myself in internships that challenge me to use my analytical skills and think on my toes. I also learned how important it is to work for a company that truly values their employees, as well as their customers, by creating an atmosphere of support for them.
What resources did you utilize to obtain this internship?
Last year, I secured my internship from a connection I made with the representatives of First Citizens Bank at the CALS career fair. Banking was something I had always had an interest in, but I did not expect to get such an immersive internship during my first summer. I was truly surprised by how the CALS career fair was able to set me up for success. The industry representatives are there because they truly do have an interest in learning about you and the value you can add to the future of agriculture.
What advice would you offer to other students seeking similar internships?
Working at First Citizens Bank really opened my eyes to the unlimited amount of opportunities there are available to me with a degree in agriculture. The reality is, you may be in a career someday that you did not even know existed. Keep an open mind and be ready to try anything. Your time in college is the opportunity you get to experiment and learn what you love to do.