Tag Archives: UT Austin

Internship Spotlight: Michael Valdez – BHP Junior

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Internship Spotlight: Michael Valdez – BHP Junior

BHP junior, Michael Valdez, knew beginning his freshman year that he wanted to do an internship with Google. Starting the search for an internship early paid off when Michael was offered an intern position at the Google headquarters in Mount View, California. Michaels tells how his initial plans were to continue on to law school, but after a summer in Silicon Valley, life as a Googler may prove more persuasive.

Location: Mt. View, CA

Title: BOLD (Building Opportunities in Leadership Development) Intern

What steps did you take to secure your internship?

I started the summer after my freshman year. I participated in BOLD Immersion, where Google invites college freshmen to their headquarters to meet and greets to feel you out and get to know you. I applied for the BOLD Internship that following November. This specific internship has an expedited application process; there are no essays, but a lot of interviews. I knew exactly what team I wanted to be a part of so I made sure I did a lot of research and prepared for every interview.

What were the responsibilities for this role?

I worked with the Google Grants Team, which donates AdWords to non-profit organizations. My role was to use statistics to help the team out and look at the program as a whole. I used a lot of statistics, data analysis and Excel.

Describe the culture within the organization.

Unique. The biggest part was the transparency, being open and honest with both Google users and employees. We made a dedicated effort to allow employees to be open and give feedback. There wasn’t any sort of Ivory Tower feeling. My boss worked on the ground floor. I had access to my manager and my manager’s manager. I was able to meet and have lunch with the VP and SVP of my department. There are no closed-door offices; the people were welcoming and easy to talk to.

What was most surprising or unexpected thing you experienced?

It was better than college. I honestly didn’t think any job would be better than college. Google had a college vibe with free food and transportation. Employees even call the workplace “campus.”

What advice would you offer your peers in the Honors Program about getting the most out of an internship?

It’s most important to be assertive in meeting people when you get there. I would constantly try to set up lunch and coffee appointments with people within Google. Not just recruiters, but people in other departments too. Go out and just really enjoy your experience. Don’t just get to know the people in your area and pigeon-hole yourself. Silicon Valley is especially open to that type of culture.

How did you find classes in the Business Honors Program to be applicable during your internship?

A lot of things I was doing I realized — wow, I just took a final on this six weeks ago. I used a lot of things I learned in Statistics 371H such as regression analysis, data analysis. Really just math in general was useful. Professor Kumar was awesome. He did a good job of getting that material drilled into our heads and really making sure we were ready to take on these roles.

How did this organization ensure you got the most out of your internship experience?

Google pulled out all of the stops. You’re assigned to a mentor that has nothing to do with your job, just to help integrate you into the Google community and show you around. Then you have a manager that sets your objectives and helps you with what you need to do your job. I met with my manager day-to-day and discussed my OKR objectives and key results. Interns are also grouped into a BOLD Team, which sets up classes for you to go to weekly and listen to executive speakers. There were tons of events put on for BOLD interns.

How did this internship affect or influence your future career?

Right now my major is Management Information Systems (MIS) and my original plan was to continue on to law school. However, after my experience in the tech world I now realizeI’m not going to law school. I feel really good about my tech skills, like coding. Google is really good about getting you comfortable around technology and keeping you confident in knowing what you’re doing. I really like the tech world and I really like Silicon Valley. I hope to go back next summer.

What are the most valuable lessons you gained from this internship?

Communication is probably the best means of advancing yourself in your internship no matter what you’re doing. Communicating with your team about what you’re doing and being collaborative is the key to success. Being able to create well-written emails is so important to an internship or really any job. It’s not about your area of expertise, but how well you’re able to communicate those findings.

BHP Freshmen Kick Off the School Year

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Written by Ashley Alcantara

This past weekend the Business Honors Program freshman class attended the Leadership Kickoff at the John Newcombe Ranch. During their stay, students were given everything they need to make the most of their first year in the BHP. The beginning of college, albeit cheesy, is also the beginning of the rest of your life. Every college freshman is faced with massive changes that can often be overwhelming, but at Leadership Kickoff students learned about how to approach challenges and be successful.

College is full of risk-taking and facing unfamiliar situations, which can be the most rewarding experiences if we allow ourselves to try them. A ropes course at Newcombe Ranch allowed BHP freshmen to learn how true this can be when they were given the opportunity to jump from a towering height while attached to a rope. While completely safe, “The Scream” was one of the scariest things I have ever convinced myself to do. However, the reward of flying through the air as I swung on the rope was invigorating. Leadership Kickoff demonstrated the benefits of taking a leap into the unknown, such as trying a new extracurricular activity or taking a challenging class.

BHP is most importantly about community and teamwork, as classmates can always depend on each other. Teamwork and trust were put to the ultimate test on a ropes course station where two students were elevated high off the ground with only each other as support. Complete trust was needed to walk across the rope without falling off. Likewise, action packed games and activities during the weekend required clear communication and cooperation for any team to be victorious. The freshman class learned that we can always depend on each other, whether its 50 feet in the air while balancing on a rope or within a professional setting twenty years from now.

Students were also given a chance to speak with alumni, meet PepsiCo representatives, swim in the pool, do the wobble at a dance party, eat delicious food, act out hilarious skits and attend the formal convocation ceremony for BHP. Most importantly though, during two extremely fun and unforgettable days, the class of 2017 learned that by overcoming fears and working together we will be extraordinary.

Internship Spotlight: Lisa Kao – BHP Junior

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Company: Northern Trust

Position: Hedge Fund Services Intern

When Lisa Kao started her internship with Nothern Trust, she never imagined how drastically work experience would change her career aspirations. Discover how Lisa found a laid-back, friendly community in a large, conservative organization.

 

What steps did you take to secure your internship?

I found out about this internship at the McCombs Spring 2013 Career Expo. After getting to know the recruiter a little better, I decided to apply for the job through OCR. There were two rounds of interviews. A few weeks after my second interview, I received a phone call notifying me I had secured an internship position with Northern Trust.

What were the responsibilities for this role?

Within the Hedge Fund Services (HFS) division, I worked specifically on the Cash & Collateral Management team. My daily responsibilities included: providing quality control on overnight batches for OTC margin monitors, issuing and responding to clients’ OTC margin calls, and creating productivity tools for increased client coverage and efficiency. I also had the opportunity to help lead college information sessions for underprivileged children in the Chicago area on behalf of Northern Trust.

Describe the culture within the organization.

My experience with Northern Trust might have been a little different from the other interns’. Northern Trust itself has a conservative culture; it is a bank with over 120 years of history. However, the division I worked under, HFS had a relaxed, fun culture. Many employees were only a few years out of college and were very relatable to college interns. The relationship I had with my manager was easy-going and friendly, although still professional. HFS encouraged its employees to get to know each other on a personal level and hosted several networking and social events throughout the summer. Dress code in the HFS division was not quite as strict either; instead of suits on a daily basis, employees could wear jeans and Sperry’s. I truly enjoyed my time as an intern in HFS and am grateful I was placed in that division!

What was the most surprising or unexpected during your experience?

Coming into this internship, I thought most of my learning would be done through the work I was assigned. However, I learned the most about my career interests and about myself as an individual through talking to the people around me. The principles I thought I valued in my future career are no longer the same. It is both exciting and scary to realize that there is no “right” career path for me to follow anymore.

What advice would you offer your peers in the Honors Program about getting the most out of an internship?

I would say the most important thing is to truly get to know the people you work with. Every employee and intern comes from a different background, and you can learn something from each person whether or not you may think so on first impression. Make sure you ask many questions and take advantage of the resources around you. Another important piece of advice is to enter your internship open-minded. You should never go into your internship thinking you MUST like/dislike your experience there. Your internship is your opportunity to grow and discover your interests. It’s okay if the internship does not end up being how you expected it to be, good or bad. In the end, it is always a wonderful learning experience!

How did you find your classes in the Business Honors Program at the university to be applicable during your internship?

Definitely. I personally find it a little exciting whenever I’m given a task at work that requires me to apply skills and knowledge I’ve previously learned in class. Honestly, working helps you learn the concepts you learn in class on a much deeper, more thorough level. A concept you may not have understood in your accounting class can suddenly make sense once you are given a real-life financial statement to analyze.

How did this organization ensure you got the most out of your internship experience?

Northern Trust has a very well developed, well-structured internship program. A highlight of the program is the weekly “Lunch & Learn” session. During these sessions, executives from different divisions throughout the company would come speak to the interns about his/her career background and current responsibilities. Everyone in the company, even high-level executives, were generally very willing to make time to meet with interns and offer advice to those who reached out. In addition, Northern Trust hosted several service and social outings for the intern class.

What are the most valuable lessons you gained from this internship?

Although this was a finance internship, the most valuable lesson I gained from this internship was not finance related at all. Being a student in the business school, I think it can be very difficult to block out all of the artificial expectations society sets for you and to truly ask yourself what you value in a career. This summer, I met so many people who have completely changed their careers to pursue their passions and have become happier people because of their decisions. You will be successful in your career as long as you are doing something you are truly passionate about. I am grateful to realize and understand the importance of this now rather than later.

Alumni Spotlight – Marialena Rivera, Class of 2007

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Alumni Spotlight – Marialena Rivera, Class of 2007

Marialena Rivera graduated in 2007 with a BBA in BHP and marketing and a BA in government. She then went on to earn master’s degrees in teaching from Pace University and public policy from UC Berkeley. She is currently working towards a PhD in policy organization, measurement and evaluation at UC Berkeley. She has served as a policy analyst, taught middle school in the Bronx, and started a non-profit called B.R.I.D.G.E. with her BHP classmates Pegah Javidpour, Sarina Hickey, and Melissa Pons. Most recently, Marialena delivered the keynote address at Subiendo: The Academy for Rising Leaders, a program sponsored by UT Austin, where she inspired high school seniors to get involved in public policy and become leaders of positive change.

You have 3 bachelor’s degrees, 2 master’s degrees, and are working on a PhD. What has motivated you to keep going?

I have always loved school and have always been a very curious person. I am lucky that I have been able to keep going. When I finished my undergrad, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. Opportunities presented themselves to me at different times, like Teach for America (TFA). When you are doing TFA, you are doing a master’s at the same time, so that is how that degree came about. I met a professor when I was doing my public policy master’s, who talked to me about my growing interest in research and doing a PhD.

You were a teacher for two years in the Bronx as part of the Teach for America program. Why did you apply for Teach for America and what insight did you gain from your teaching experience?

When I was a senior, I felt I wanted to do something meaningful with my life. My parents sacrificed a lot so my siblings and I could go to college. I wanted to do something my parents would be proud of and something to give back, since they gave me so much. My roommate in college was working for TFA recruiting college students and the more I learned about it, the more interested I became in the program. After five weeks of training, I was placed in a high needs classroom in the Bronx. I found that there was a wide variance of skill levels among the students, and I didn’t really have enough training for how to address the variety of academic and emotional needs. We had some successes and I was doing the best I could, but I really saw a need to fix some of the deeper issues I had seen in my classroom at a policy level. I decided to go to public policy school to study some of the root causes of the problems I was seeing.

Public policy is a passion of yours. How do you define public policy and how do you encourage people to get involved?

I define public policy as people recognizing problems in society and figuring out how to use laws, regulations, etc. to fix those problems. I think people have to come to public policy out of a personal motivation. The people working in public policy that I know are very passionate about something, which usually came from a personal experience or something they saw that really bothered them. For me, it was my experience in the classroom that prompted my work on education. Everyone has gone through something difficult or knows someone who has. No matter what your issue is, know that you can do something about issues that bother you. There are so many problems right now and we need as many people as possible working on these issues.

What research are you currently conducting?

I am working on a couple different projects with faculty members at Berkeley. I am working on a study of Teach for America, exploring how TFA has affected participants’ career trajectories. I recently worked with a team looking at the Oakland School District and the community schools model that they are implementing. I am also working on my own research. I was recently awarded a fellowship through the Social Science Research Council to help me develop my research for my dissertation, which will be on public financing for school districts. I am looking at the impact of tax policy on equity for students and am looking at bond election data and debt instrument usage. Data collection includes interviews with private organizations, state officials, and school district employees. I hope to make recommendations on how tax policies at the state level can be improved to make them more equitable, and improve the student experience.

You have received multiple awards and fellowships over the years. What are you most proud of having accomplished?

Of all of the things I have done, I am most proud of teaching. I don’t think I have ever poured my heart and soul as much into something. When I was a finalist for the Sue Lehman Excellence in Teaching Award at the end of my time with Teach for America, it was just a small token of appreciation for my work and the work of my students, but I was proud of that accomplishment. Still, I felt like I wasn’t as good as I should have been, and I believed the kids needed more. All of the work I have been doing the last few years has been motivated by my desire to help kids like the ones I taught in New York have a better classroom experience.

Tell me more about the non-profit you started with fellow classmates and what it was like getting that off the ground.

It was an amazing experience. I worked with three other BHP students and we started with just an idea based on a problem we saw. We knew there were migrant farmers’ children who weren’t graduating high school at the same rate as others. We entered the LBJ School’s Social Innovation Competition and won $10,000, which got us started. We applied for non-profit status, set up a board, started meeting with community leaders and other non-profits. A lot of other organizations were willing to help us. We were chosen to go the Clinton Global Initiative University Conference. We met Bill Clinton and his staff and got a lot of great ideas from them. We also participated in two other competitions, for which we were runners up. We developed a summer program, where we organized service projects related to the migrant farmer population in South Texas. We have done that for 4 years now and have partnered with other organizations for that. I have stepped away for a bit so I can focus on my PhD. My partners are still working very hard on it and are setting up a mentorship program and a college fund.

What do you see yourself doing after you complete your PhD?

I want to continue to work in education policy. I see myself either going the academia route and becoming a professor, or working at the state level for the department of education or for state legislators.

What advice do you have for current BHP students?

Be open to options inside and outside of business. So many of the people I graduated from BHP with are using business skills in ways that we might not have thought of. Business skills can be applicable in non-traditional career paths. I would also encourage students to get involved and make a change in their community, even if they are starting small, they can still accomplish great things.

Student Spotlight – Doug Daniels, Class of 2013

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Student Spotlight – Doug Daniels, Class of 2013

BHP class of 2013 graduate Doug Daniels is taking a different path than most of our graduates. Doug was selected to receive a prestigious Fulbright research grant to conduct research at The University of Cologne in Germany. Doug will spend the next year researching Germany’s perception of risk and lending practices for Germany’s Mittelstand. We recently spoke with Doug to learn more about his planned research.

Where will you be and what will you be researching?

I will be researching how the recent financial crisis has affected Germany’s perception of risk and its lending practices for the Mittelstand – a  term used to refer to small and mid-sized German enterprises. Since the financial crisis, Germany has created new legislation that could restrict several Mittelstand companies from refinancing their loans with the original bank. My research will examine alternative refinancing options for these companies. I will conduct my research under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Monika Trapp at The University of Cologne in Germany where I will also be enrolled in finance and German courses to supplement my project.  I also plan to keep a blog to document my research progress and cultural experiences.

Why are you interested in researching this subject?

The research is an extension of my senior thesis, “Refinancing the German Maturity Wall.” McCombs students are able to receive credit for writing a thesis by enrolling in an independent research / study course.  My thesis was under the supervision of Sandy Leeds and was submitted as a part of my Fulbright application.

In the U.S., leveraged loans are priced and sold according to credit quality and institutional investors’ appetite. However, German loans are much more controlled by local banks which often hold the entire loan. New legislation in Germany has increased regulations for local banks which will restrict lending practices. Mittelstand companies need to refinance billions of dollars of loans and many will have to find new lenders.  I am interested in exploring potential international lending opportunities for the Mittelstand.

What was the process like to receive the Fulbright grant and how competitive was it?

Last summer, I interned for a specialty lending group that funded leveraged loans for private equity deals. While the bank made me an offer to start full time after graduation, I declined the offer to take a year to go to Germany and research. It was a difficult decision because I truly enjoyed my job but moving to Germany has always been a life goal of mine. To make the decision harder, I had to turn down the offer before I even started applying to grants for Germany. Luckily, the German government offers several different grants for foreign researchers.

I applied to three grant programs, each with its own application. UT has a very strong program for Fulbright. Applicants first apply through the University where a panel conducts an interview and critiques the research proposal. After the interview, applicants are assigned a mentor to help redraft their proposal. My mentor, Dr. Jane Lincove, was extremely helpful as I rewrote my proposal. Applications are then sent to the U.S. State Department who select finalist that are forwarded to the German Fulbright Commission in Berlin. The German Commission selects the final 80 grant recipients.  The most difficult part of the application is finding a German affiliation. All applications need to have the written support of a German university and professor. I sent my thesis to dozens of universities and ended up affiliating with The University of Cologne and Prof. Dr. Monika Trapp who specializes in credit research.

When did you find out you received the scholarship and what was your reaction to the news?

I submitted all of my applications in October but did not hear any response until the following April. It’s a very long and stressful wait, especially after turning down a full-time offer. I was very excited to receive multiple grants and ended up selecting Fulbright because it gave the most flexibility for my research.

What would you like to do once the grant has ended?

I plan to spend a year at The University of Cologne conducting my research. When I return, I hope to join the specialty lending group where I interned last summer. I believe that my research will provide an interesting perspective to my work.

I want to encourage other business students to apply for a Fulbright. It is a great opportunity to have a paid year abroad. The program lets undergraduates of any field study in any country. While the program is popular in the liberal arts college and engineering school, few business majors apply at UT.

 

For more information on Fulbright, please visit http://us.fulbrightonline.org/ or email Doug Daniels at DougDaniels@utexas.edu.