STAR Magazine November 2018 | Page 11

“The stereotype of an internship is you’re just going to type a lot of numbers into Excel and clean up spreadsheets for your higher-ups,” Mueller said. “We worked on our own projects, and we had our own responsibilities. We didn't just do the grunt work.” VIDEO SPOTLIGHT We worked on our own projects, and we had our own responsibilities. We didn’t just do the grunt work. - Jake Mueller, University of Nebraska – Lincoln By contributing directly to a wide range of projects, Mueller said he acquired valuable industry knowledge that went beyond his classroom lessons. As a result, he is better equipped to explain the fundamentals of finance, as well as the opportunities available in the financial services industry. “My internship opened my eyes to everything I've been studying in school,” Mueller said. Before transferring to the University of Nebraska at Omaha, Noah Aboneh, a business major in finance and international business, was an engineering major at Georgia Tech and an intern at Coca-Cola’s headquarters, a company with almost 150,000 employees. He found Securities America’s internship program markedly different. Hear Securities America interns describe the projects they worked on during their time here and explain how these tasks prepared them for their future in the financial services industry. Watch Video “I have really enjoyed getting to know all the employees here,” Aboneh said. “It’s such a warm environment, and the company culture promotes community.” The Securities America interns agreed their experience here helped them better define and envision their career paths. That’s intentional, said Eric Jensen, Securities America’s human resources director. “The company and the interns are trying each other out,” Jensen said. “But we also put a lot of stock in the value of training. The training is really a win-win. The interns gain experience, and Securities America gains access to a developed workforce.” NOVEMBER 2018 | The STAR 10