by RIKKILYNN SHIELDS, Social Media Editor
For many first-year students, this summer was about preparing to start a new chapter– otherwise known as college– and say goodbye to friends, family and even old jobs in preparation for a fresh start.
For a handful of returning Manhattan College students, it’s time to say goodbye to not only summer, but more importantly, their summer internships.
In the past, Manhattan College has been ranked as one of the top schools in the country according to national surveys that assess graduate outcomes and salaries. According to the Office of Career Pathways, 88% of Manhattan College graduates are employed full time or enrolled in graduate school within nine months of graduation, and 86% of those students are full-time employees in their desired industry.
To freshman, thinking about internships may seem intimidating. However, while it may only be the first week of college for a handful of students, hearing about the experiences of other Manhattan College students can not only be informative, but also inspiring.
It has been a successful summer for a variety of Manhattan College students, who are starting another successful year of college with new experiences and a broadened outlook on life and the future.
Laura Bombace, a senior communications major with a concentration in advertising worked as an intern with Camuto Group this summer, a shoe company with headquarters in Greenwich, Conn. Bombace worked in the marketing department as a showroom manager Intern.
“I landed this internship through a family friend who is a shoe designer at the company. As an intern, I was responsible for managing appointments, preparing for FFANY (Fashion Footwear Association of New York) shoe shows and assisting the sales and account executive teams. I worked with two other full time managers and we tackled a lot of these responsibilities together,” Bombace said.
This is not her first internship, being that Bombace has previously interned at Carl Bloom Associates in White Plains, NY. While Bombace confessed that her lack of knowledge in regards to the fashion industry presented her with some challenges after beginning her internship, she expressed that the team she worked with was more than helpful.
“Fortunately, after a summer here, I’ve learned how fun this industry really is. I worked with some extremely inspiring and talented people. I loved working for a large company and meeting new people everyday,” Bombace said. “I was able to meet most of the people that work at Camuto Group this summer, which was about 400 people. One of my favorite things about interning was getting a taste of the fashion world.”
She continued.
“Before this, I never saw fashion as anything more than an interest of mine, now I see it as a potential industry I want to get into. Also I got many sample shoes, bags and accessories.”
Despite what she thought was her lack of knowledge in regards to the fashion industry, Bombace was offered an opportunity to return working with Camuto Group after she graduates in May 2019.
“I am very excited to see where I am come May and if I want to continue my interest in fashion. For students looking to land internships– DON’T GIVE UP! The applying and interview process can be extremely difficult and can knock you down time and time again but it is so important to pick yourself back up and put yourself back out there. Also don’t be afraid to utilize your resources, your teachers, mentors, advisor and classmates. Make those connections, it will only help in the end.”
Not only was Bombace offered a job, but she also had the opportunity to meet Jessica Simpson during her time at Camuto Group this summer.
“The company owns her shoe brand, ‘Jessica Simpson’ and as an intern I was able to sit in on an approval meeting”with Jessica, her mom and her team as they approved of the styles for her spring 2019 line. I was able to assist with displaying the shoes.”
Camuto Group wasn’t the only company who took in a Jasper intern this past summer. Naming another, Ernst & Young, one of the largest professional services firms in the world and one of the “Big Four” accounting firms has over 1 million applicants globally each year. This gives applicants a 2% chance of getting an offer.
Gianna Tinto ’18, a current graduate student in Manhattan College’s Master of Business Administration program interned with Ernst & Young this summer in their Hoboken, New Jersey office.
Even though Tinto was a member of the women’s cross country and track and field team, she planned to complete her undergraduate studies in May 2019 with a major in accounting– evidently, she as able to graduate this past May with three internships under her belt. Working with Ernst & Young was Tinto’s fourth internship opportunity, being that she previously interned with Professional Group Plans as a Data Specialist after her first year, StoneTurn group as a Forensic Accounting Intern, and Citrin Cooperman as a Winter Tax Intern.
At Ernst & Young, Tinto was a Financial Service Organizations (FSO) Tax Intern, a job which encompasses hedge funds, private equity clients, and insurance companies to name a few.
“In a typical day I would get in around 8:00 a.m. I would check my email and my personal to-do list so that I could get started. I would touch base with my staff/seniors to let them know I would be jumping back into specific work books. I would work on such analysis until usually 7:00 PM, at which point I would make note of where I left off and touch base with the team so I could jump in easily the next day,” Tinto said.
Tinto’s experience at Ernst & Young made her feel like more of a staff member than an intern.
“My responsibilities were to aid in fund-of-fund analysis for a major private equity client. More specifically this means I was responsible for importing K-1 information and making sure state-sourced figures were correct. I needed to keep detailed logs of my time so the client would be billed properly. Because the client was filing in more states this year, the workload increased from prior year. This led me to be treated more like staff than an intern.”
However, being treated as a staff member, rather than an intern, kept Tinto on her toes. Tinto recounts being treated as a staff member, rather than an intern, as her favorite part and the most challenging part of her internship.
“This was the first experience I had where I was working 60+ hours a week, similar to the staff. I had to remind myself that the work was going to get done because it had to. I liked being treated like a staff. At this point of my professional career, I wasn’t taking an internship as a launching pad to the next internship. Rather, I was looking to intern somewhere where I would likely roll over into a full-time position. Being given more responsibility and more work allowed me to be certain that E&Y was the company I wanted to work upon completion of my MBA.”
Along with the challenges of the intense workload as an intern, Tinto believes that her introverted personality made it challenging at times to stand out– nevertheless, however, she persisted.
“Putting myself out there in terms of networking and making sure my voice was heard was a challenge. I am an introvert by nature so I was pushing myself out of my comfort zone. However, I was in a very competitive program where everyone was capable. Being capable wasn’t enough, you needed to stand out. Your ability to network with your team and the partners was a distinguishable skill. It was probably out of fear that I was able to really thrive in this area.”
Following the completion of her MBA in Spring 2019, Tinto will be moving to New Jersey to begin her full-time job as an FSO Tax Staff 1 in Ernst & Young’s Hoboken Office.
“Additionally, the firm takes all of the interns to Disney for the last week of the program! I was able to go to the parks, listen to top tax professional speak on their beliefs for the future of tax, and network with other interns from all throughout the world. It was great experience that I was fortunate to attend.”
As her internship came to an end, and Tinto accepted a job offer from Ernst & Young, Tinto expressed her appreciation for the education she has received at Manhattan College.
“I learned to really appreciate my education as a Jasper. I was often in the room with kids and professionals from very big name schools and realized that Manhattan College had just as well prepared me for my internship. Manhattan excels in improving your soft skills as well. We are a small school with ample networking opportunities, which serves as great practice for your professional career.”
A fellow member of the track and field team, Mikesha Kelly, a senior communications major, landed an internship at Rubenstein Public Relations in New York City, NY. Kelly was apart of the Women Inspiring Successful Enterprise (W.I.S.E) program, organized by Rachel Circelli, who matched her with Rubenstein PR.
This summer, Kelly worked closely with an account executive in the New Business Department as a public relations intern.
“No day was the same at my internship which I absolutely loved! I was responsible for creating media lists, meeting notes, transcribing interviews, creating monthly and weekly reports, monitoring as well as organizing data on excel. A larger project I had was working on creating a proposal for a client. I was able to design a PowerPoint alongside the senior writer and the new business development department for a particular client and also helped write the written aspect of the proposal,” Kelly said.Kelly’s internship taught her to step out of her comfort zone, and educated her on the field that she plans to spend the rest of her life working in.
“I overcame the fear of asking questions. I think a lot of the time interns are afraid to say they don’t know something. I think it’s important in any internship or aspect of life to not only ask questions but ask good questions because it will not only help you get an answer but shows that you have the desire to learn more.”
The experience Kelly gained from her internship with Rubenstein PR will last a lifetime, and has provided her with confidence in her future endeavors.
“I felt so important doing even the smallest of tasks. With a traditional company like this one I feel like this was the best possible opportunity to get a real public relations experience. This company has its hands in so many different industries that everyday I was learning something new. It was truly unreal and I loved working with this company!”
While another school year is officially underway and summer internships have come to an end, the opportunities for Manhattan College students are never over, and remain endless. For these three Jaspers, beginning senior year with such wonderful experiences and memories is not only rewarding, but inspiring.