Every year, students across our programs supplement the material they’ve learned in the classroom with professional experience through internships. A degree is a wonderful achievement, and adding professional experience puts students in an even better position to land their dream job upon graduation. I interviewed a few of our students with internships over the past year, all of them noted how their graduate coursework helped them thrive as interns. Check out the testimonials to catch up on what our students have been up to.
Angelique Brown, full-time MBA ’20, was a sustainability intern at AntFarm Youth Services in Portland, Oregon.
What were your main responsibilities during your internship?
During my internship at AntFarm Youth Services, I created a baseline for the organization’s operations in terms of carbon footprint. I mapped their supply chain, performed a waste audit and wrote a sustainability plan that detailed future goals and targets. I don’t have a background in environmental sustainability, so it was a steep learning curve. I received a lot of support from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality on various measuring techniques and approaches, which helped a lot.
What did you gain from your experience?
As a whole, I am leaving this experience better equipped to come into an organization as an outside consultant, gather and process data, and then be able to build an outline of where they are at now and where they need to be in terms of environmental footprint. I learned the concepts of life cycle analysis and value chain. This was also the first time I had written a sustainability plan for a business, and through that process I learned how to make realistic and tangible goals based on the current state of an organization.
Panchakportevy Chea, MSF ’19, was an accounting and finance intern at The Standard in Hillsboro, Oregon.
What were your main responsibilities during your internship?
As an accounting and finance intern at the Standard, I learned how to analyze approximately 6,000 commercial real estate loans. I utilized borrower income statements and rent roll to analyze each loan to find normalized net operating income, loan-to-value, and debt coverage ratio. The projects I worked on required strong critical thinking and logical skills. After analyzing the loans mentioned, I sent them to the original underwriters to approve.
What did you gain from your experience?
I gained a lot of experience in terms of teamwork, communication, critical thinking, and analyzing loans using operating statements. I tend to be on the reserved side, and this internship pushed me to get out of my comfort zone socially by encouraging me to learn about my coworkers and express my opinions. Moreover, I have always wanted to apply my knowledge from school in the professional field. This internship gave me a chance to apply my knowledge and gain experience at the same time.
Jon Duncan, full-time MBA ’20 and GSCM certificate, was a supply chain analyst MBA intern at Tillamook County Creamery Association (TCCA) in Portland, Oregon.
What were your main responsibilities during your internship?
As a supply chain intern, I was responsible for mapping all of the co-manufacturers that TCCA partners with to create Tillamook-branded products. I created a presentation to describe each company’s capabilities, and researched what the companies produce for TCCA. I examined their sources for ingredients and food safety and quality certifications. I also identified additional production capabilities and larger networks they are able to access. Finally, I provided analysis and recommendations for how TCCA can leverage their partners’ resources more effectively to continue the current high-growth trajectory of the Tillamook brand.
What did you gain from your experience?
The most valuable thing I gained from my internship was the opportunity to work cross-functionally with many departments, including category management, research and development, finance, consumer insights and strategy. I gained awareness about brand, category, and product management, an area that I’ve never been exposed to in my previous work experience. This internship helped me realize that I’m interested in securing a position as a product manager after I complete The Portland MBA next summer.
Morgan Healey, MT ’19, was a US business tax intern at Deloitte LLP in London, UK.
What were your main responsibilities during your internship?
Interns at Deloitte UK are treated the same as first year staff. You go to all of the same trainings and are given all of the same compliance and advisory work that you would be given as a staff.
Because my internship was in the winter, I helped with the March and April compliance tax deadlines for their clients. Summer and fall interns have more of an opportunity to do advisory work as well as it’s not quite so busy.
What did you gain from your experience?
My internship experience was invaluable. I learned so much more about what the day-to-day life of an associate looks like, and I got to explore Europe and really see what the benefits of living in Europe are.
I also got a job offer from my internship and now live in London full time working for Deloitte UK. I was able to start building valuable relationships with colleagues during my internship that I was able to maintain and continue to build upon when I returned full time. I wouldn’t have half of the opportunities I have today if it weren’t for my internship.
Benjamin Orndoff, full-time MBA ’20 with finance option, was a strategic and financial planning intern at Columbia Sportswear Co. in Portland, Oregon.
What were your main responsibilities during your internship?
As the strategic and financial planning intern, I created a wholesale customer profitability analysis tool in Excel for the Canadian team and the Columbia, SOREL and Mountain Hardwear brands. This new reporting tool will be used biannually by the Canadian team to create a better understanding of key performance indicators and profitability impact across top wholesale accounts and channels. It will also help inform better decisions regarding sales programs, discount structure, contra activity and various expenses to drive stronger results. Working both interdepartmentally and with global partners required me to apply the communication, collaboration and EQ skills I developed during my first year of The Portland MBA.
What did you gain from your experience?
During my internship at Columbia, I established links between the concepts I’ve learned (and will continue to learn) in the classroom and how they are applied in a corporate setting. My manager provided continuous support and mentorship while giving me the freedom to work independently, express curiosity and learn-by-doing. My manager also allowed me to sit in on several meetings each week which shed light on the high-level, key takeaways that officers/directors care about.
Throughout the summer, I had the opportunity to partake in one-on-one informational interviews, which provided invaluable insight and advice from seasoned professionals whose shoes I hope to one day fill. I also played on the financial planning and analysis (FP&A) sand volleyball team, which was a great opportunity to meet new coworkers within my department and connect outside of work. Overall, I gained a better understanding of the technical and soft skills I need to develop during my second year of The Portland MBA (and beyond) to be a high-performer in the workforce. This internship was an outstanding experience thanks to my manager, the FP&A team and everyone else at Columbia!
Yue You, MSF ’19, was an accounting and finance intern at The Standard in Hillsboro, Oregon.
What were your main responsibilities during your internship?
I was responsible for a wide range of accounting and finance related tasks. These included analyzing different kinds of property by the income approach, analyzing rent roll and financial statements from property owners and normalizing revenue and expenses for the current year’s operating statement. Throughout my internship, I completed over 800 operating statement analysis and interpreted financial results by analyzing the change in net operating income, loan-to-value and debt coverage ratio.
What did you gain from your experience?
It was a great experience. I learned how to apply financial concepts learned through the MSF program in a real-world setting. I had to be extremely organized and efficient in meeting deadlines because the industry is very deadline-driven. I also strengthened my Microsoft Excel skills, learning to use functions and tools I did not know before. Most importantly, I learned how to build professional connections with my colleagues, managers and other interns.
Yuemeng Ge, MSF ’19, was a warehouse manager intern at L&R International Trading, LLC in Portland, Oregon.
What were your main responsibilities during your internship?
I was responsible for assisting and supporting the warehouse manager, which included inventory tracking, document preparation, bill review, e-commerce order tracking and any other company warehouse management activities. I also helped with the company’s accounting and financial department, which included managing the local 3PL to maintain operations within budget, conducting quarterly cycle count audits and resolving inventory discrepancies.
What did you gain from your experience?
First and foremost, I learned how to use the enterprise resource planning system to enter data and edit the report log. I also learned the importance of time management, a crucial skill when allotting time and resources to a project. The work was very precise, which required me to focus on being logical in order to hand over work that was explicit and clear.
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