MBA ’20 summer internships: Providing solutions at USTA

Over the summer, I was a finance intern at the United States Tennis Association.

I had applied for corporate finance intern roles on LinkedIn, MBA Focus and other job boards and then, I received a call from a director at the USTA as part of a pre-interview screening. I eventually interviewed with a senior finance director, who became my manager.

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Part of a series about summer internships from Olin MBA 2020 students. Today we hear from Fifunmi Ogunmola, who worked at United States Tennis Association as a finance intern.

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I prepared for the interview with resources from the Weston Career Center. I had mock interviews with some of my peers. Also, I had access to resources to help me prepare for finance-specific interview questions.

How I used what I’ve learned at Olin during my internship

With multiple team projects and club activities in our first year, we learned collaboration. This proved useful during my internship. I had to work with my teammates, other interns and staff in other departments.

In addition, learning critical and strategic thinking in my classes helped me put my summer project in perspective; the model I was developing was not just to solve a department’s problem, but to provide a solution with nationwide impact.

How the internship prepared me for my final year at business school

Prior to the internship, I asked my manager in an email how to prepare for the internship. He asked me to come with an open mind. I saw the relevance of that advice multiple times during the internship. Beyond learning new technical and managerial skills, I learned so much about an unfamiliar industry.

As I begin my final year of business school, I intend to have an open mind; to explore more opportunities to connect and to embrace learning in all forms.  

Fifunmi Ogunmola

A day in the life

9:00 a.m.: Workday officially begins.

9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.: Check emails; check-in with manager on revisions to the 2020 budget presentation; check-in with teammates; complete pending tasks.

10:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.: Intern check-in with the New York office.

10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.: Work on tasks for the day; attend meetings (with teammates, other departments, work mentor etc.).

12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.: Lunch and learn (professional development sessions over lunch).

1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.: Complete tasks for the day; work on summer project or other projects.

3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.: Intern project meeting.

4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.: Work continues.

5:00 p.m.: Already?! Tomorrow is another day!

How the internship is shaping my long-term career goals

The projects I worked on during the internship further revealed my career interests in finance and data analytics. This has guided my selection of classes and my decision to take complementary courses on LinkedIn Learning.

In addition, some of the lunch and learn sessions I attended taught practical skills on corporate communication, networking with senior executives and building a personal brand, all important elements of career success.

I believe that as I continue to gain the academic knowledge required to achieve my career goals, and as I build upon these specific skills learned during my internship, I am on the path to an enriching career.