Here at Protiviti, we make it a priority to celebrate our interns each and every day. But on Thursday, July 25, 2024, we are thrilled to shine the spotlight on our future leaders as we celebrate National Intern Day. Started by WayUp as a way to honor and celebrate interns across the nation, we can think of no better way to highlight our interns and their accomplishments than to let them take the reins of our blog for a day and let them tell you how they “Live Something Different” at Protiviti.
Come along with us to meet five interns from across the country as they tell you more about “A Day in the Life of a Protiviti Intern.”
Kennedy Kibler
Austin, Texas
Intern in Protiviti’s Risk & Compliance Solution
Hi everyone, my name is Kennedy! I am a rising senior at the University of Texas at Austin majoring in Business Honors and Finance. This past June, I started my Risk & Compliance internship with Protiviti in the Austin office. Let’s delve into what my day here looks like:
6:30 AM: The first (of many) alarms go off. I’d estimate about 15 snoozes until the thought of being late motivates me to get out of bed.
7:15 AM: I wash my face, brush my teeth, and instead of my usual slacks and blouse combo, I put on jeans and my Protiviti T-shirt. Today’s agenda includes volunteering at the Texas Central Food Bank with some of the Austin staff.
8:00 AM – 12:00 PM: We spend our morning assembling meal kits and deboning chicken. It was awesome to see that we provided 3,804 meals, but I will say, Chick-fil-A was off limits for lunch after that.
12:15 PM: Time for lunch! The volunteers meet at Via 313 Pizza, where we split a few pizzas and some killer cheese sticks before heading back to the office.
1:30 PM: Now it’s time to log back in, check my Teams, refresh my email, and grab myself a fresh cup of coffee before getting back to work. Today, I am making client-requested edits to their risk assessment tool in Excel.
2:00 PM: A tricky formula leads me on an internet quest until I find my solution in a YouTube video. When I finally figure it out, I feel greatly proud to see the model run properly.
3:45 – 4:30 PM: I join a virtual “coffee chat” with a Director from Protiviti’s Legal Consulting solution. I’ve made it a goal of mine to connect with individuals in different solutions, especially Legal Consulting since I am interested in the intersection between business and law. Throughout the conversation, I learn more about the value a Legal Consultant provides and what kind of projects they get to tackle.
4:30 – 5:00 PM: After my meeting, I wrap up the day by answering emails and pinging my project lead with my progress updates on the risk assessment tool. Then, it’s time to call it a day at the office, and I am off to an intern event.
5:00 PM: The interns Uber downtown for a tour on an Austin Double Decker bus. Despite being a resident, I was pleasantly surprised to learn some new Austin history. However, I think the highlight of the tour was our guide’s “surprise” to beat the Austin heat. We all had a good laugh when we were thrown a wet towel instead of the cold sweet treat that we were envisioning.
7:00 PM: It’s been a long but fun day. I Uber back to my apartment and recharge for another day as a Protiviti intern.
Timothy Amankwah
Los Angeles, CA
Intern in Protiviti’s Digital Solution
Hi everyone! My name is Timothy Amankwah, and I’m an intern at Protiviti in the Los Angeles office, working in the Digital Solution. I’m currently a student at the University of Arizona where I am majoring in economics. Here’s a glimpse into a typical day in my life as an intern.
9:00 AM: I start my day early, slipping into my favorite blue sweater before heading to a local coffee shop. Thanks to Protiviti’s hybrid work setting, I can enjoy a refreshing matcha while catching up on emails and checking my calendar. I love staying connected with friends I met during The Intern Challenge, so I often message them to see how they’re doing.
1:00 PM: My afternoons kick off with a project team meeting, where we dive into our work for the day. I’m currently working on an internal project with Protiviti which has been both challenging and rewarding. I also make it a point to have a “coffee chat” with someone new to learn about their experiences. Today, I had a fantastic conversation with a member of the digital team—we bonded over our similar backgrounds.
5:00 PM: As the day winds down, I review my weekly tasks, touch base with my team, and wrap up my project work. Today was extra special because all the Los Angeles interns and employees gathered at Santa Monica Beach for a fun beach clean-up. We had a blast catching up on each other’s projects, and afterward, we headed to the Ale House for a delicious meal.
Peter Busch
Pittsburgh, PA
Intern in Protiviti’s Internal Audit and Financial Advisory – Business Process Solution
Hello everyone! My name is Peter! I work as an intern in Protiviti’s Pittsburgh office under the Internal Audit & Financial Advisory – Business Process solution. I’m originally from Allentown, Pennsylvania and I go to school at the University of Pittsburgh.
Here’s what my typical day looks like!
6:00 AM: My alarm begins to ring, and my day officially starts! I get out of bed and head down to the bathroom to shower and brush my teeth. I’ll be working in the office today (as opposed to working from home) so I need to be at my desk between 8:30 am and 9:00 am. I finish up and get dressed for the day – Protiviti’s policy is to “dress for your day” so business casual will do me just fine. I toss on my favorite collared shirt and dress pants and head downstairs for breakfast. After some eggs and toast, I head out for the office!
8:30 AM: I arrive at the office and find my desk – Protiviti has an open workspace, so my desk varies from day to day depending on which desk I reserve. I say hello to my colleagues and begin working on a plan for the day. I check my email and calendar, then begin working on control testing. I’m currently working on Sarbanes Oxley compliance testing for one of our largest clients so staying organized is pivotal.
10:00 AM: At 10 am I have a meeting with the other consultants on my project. Here we address any outstanding questions from the previous day and orient ourselves to stay on task for the rest of the workday. One of my favorite parts of the Protiviti internship is the open lines of communication with leadership and colleagues. My teammates are always willing to help, and they’re always available if I have any questions about the work I’m doing.
12:00 PM: Once noon rolls around it’s time for lunch! The office had lunch catered today for our lunchtime Town Hall meeting. The whole office snacked on Chipotle as we had a roundtable discussion with management about the latest updates in the Pittsburgh market. After lunch, our office had a community service session where I got to make dog and cat toys for local shelter animals. I love Protiviti’s commitment to serving our community!
2:00 PM: My afternoon is highlighted by a “coffee chat” with a member of the Pittsburgh office. One of my personal goals for this internship is to have a coffee chat with a different member of the office every week. I think I may overachieve on this goal, since everyone in the office is so friendly and willing to talk about their experiences!
5:00 PM: As the clock strikes 5 pm, the workday draws to a close. However, there’s an extra event at the office today! 5 pm marks the beginning of a post-work happy hour, followed by an office trip to a Pittsburgh Pirates baseball game! The whole office snacked on pizza and refreshments before heading over to the game. What a day!
Howin Lin
Manhattan, New York
Intern in Protiviti’s Business Performance Improvement- Finance Performance Management Solution
How’s it going, everyone? My name is Howin, and I am an intern in the BPI solution, focusing on Finance Performance Management in the New York Office. I’m headed into my senior year at St. John’s University studying finance, and I am excited to write about my day in life here at Protiviti!
8:10 AM: I arrive to the office from Staten Island where I chat with fellow interns and employees. Today is Coffee Wednesday, a get-together where employees enjoy breakfast brought in by Protiviti. This week’s Coffee Wednesday is hosted by ASPIRE (Asian Professional Innovative and Resourceful Employees); they brought in Asian pastries for us to enjoy!
9:00 AM: Once Coffee Wednesday ends, I head over to my workplace to jump into my daily tasks for my assigned project. Currently I am supporting a nonprofit real estate developer serving low-income families. My role is to review rental documents and write down variances for each tenant for over fifty properties across New York City. I found an appreciation for this project due to our teams’ ability to make a direct impact on the lives of tenants by providing clarity, ensuring financial accuracy, and identifying improvement opportunities on a massive scale.
1:00 PM: After some work, I hopped onto my daily touch point meeting with the team to discuss any updates, questions, and concerns. As we go through the meeting, I make sure to jot down some notes, see if there are any changes to the process, and ask questions.
2:30 PM: As the meeting ends, several of my fellow interns and I head out for lunch. Being in New York City, we have a wide range of food options, so we always have difficulty deciding what we want for lunch. We all agree on getting Thai food near the office. After eating and talking about how our days were going, we returned to the office to snag some water/snacks for an afternoon pick-me-up. Headed back to my workplace, I tend to unanswered messages and resume my work.
5:30 PM: As the day comes to a close and I finish the rest of my tasks, I reach out to my team members to see if they need any assistance, and if not, my day comes to an end!
Purvi Nandakumar
Atlanta, Georgia
Intern in Protiviti’s Technology Consulting – Business Platform Transformation Solution
Hi! I’m Purvi 🙂 I’m a rising senior studying Management Information Systems with an emphasis in Information Security and a certificate in Personal and Organizational Leadership at the University of Georgia. I’m a Tech Consulting intern in the Business Platform Transformation solution. Tech Consulting is essentially advising businesses to effectively utilize technology to achieve their objectives!
In consulting, every day is different. So…what do I do in a day?
7:15 AM: My alarm rings and I’m already half-awake because the sunrise wakes me up every morning! I check my calendar so I can mentally prepare for my day. I get up, excited to go into work to see my intern friends and tackle my tasks.
9:15 AM: I arrive to the office after a 15-minute walk from my apartment. After setting up my desk near the other interns and doing a quick catch-up, I resume my work from this morning. My client specializes in consumer-packaged goods, and I am working with SAP HANA, a data management database.
10:30 AM: I have my first meetings of the day! I make sure to take notes on the content and write down questions.
12:00 PM: Lunchtime! The office hosted a Lunch and Learn event with a panel of consultants of various levels to provide interns with career experiences/advice. Gained a lot of valuable insight! The catered pizza was also fire.
1:00 PM: Another event! Every week, there is a spotlight on a different Tech Consulting solution for interns. This week, it was Enterprise Data & Analytics and Technology Strategy & Architecture.
1:45 PM: Head back to my desk and get back to work. Within SAP HANA, I am updating the codes from the old dimension views to the new ones. The updates on these models will be reflected in the new dashboards that end-users will be using every day! I love that I’m working on something that is directly impacting the client.
3:30 PM: I had a “coffee chat” with a manager! Networking is so critical in consulting, and I do my best to schedule 2-3 a week to learn as much as possible.
4:00 PM: Last meeting of the day with my team and the client. I learn a lot about consultant/client interactions, the other projects the team is working on, and how everything fits in the complex timeline.
5:00 PM: Done for the day! I wave goodbye to the office and head over to the Intern Happy Hour I helped plan. This internship experience is so unique and exciting, and I am ready for a fun, new day tomorrow!
We’d like to thank Kennedy, Timothy, Peter, Howin and Purvi for taking us along through a busy day as a Protiviti intern! While these are just a few perspectives from our 2024 intern class, we are so proud of the many ways in which our interns are embracing Protiviti’s mission: “We Care. We Collaborate. We Deliver.”
Our internship will be wrapping up in a few short weeks, so stay tuned for and end-of-summer recap!
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