My Internship Experience with ADAPT

Like many other college students, I was unsure of the path I wanted to take while starting my education. 

Halfway through my first year at Duquesne University I was introduced to Information Systems Management (ISM).  With a pairing of business management practices and systems development and integration, ISM provides innovation in the workforce today and is what I want in a future career. 

While searching for an internship, I looked for two main things; how it aligned with my major and career path and how the company lives up to its Mission Statement and Values.  When I came across the opening for a Technology Consulting Summer Intern at Schneider Downs, I was more than ecstatic.  Fast forward a couple months later and here I am, working on the Automation and Data Analytics Process Team (“ADAPT”), and working to make our firm, clients and communities better. 

After a year of online classes, I was not very worried about doing an internship online.  When the pandemic first started, I thought I would never get used to an online environment, but I feel very comfortable and have learned to adapt to the sudden changes.  Schneider Downs has made working online feel like I am in the office, even though I am in my bedroom and not in busy Downtown Pittsburgh.  My team meets a few times every week to catch up like we would in the office, and I am on face-to-face video calls every day to work on different projects.  Very early on in my internship I realized that Schneider Downs is not like many other firms, and I am extremely lucky to be a part of a community that really cares.

So far, I have been provided many opportunities to apply the skills I have learned in my classes to many projects.  Not only that, but I have also learned a lot more and am continuing to develop in Power BI, Solver, Excel, Power Query, and Macros.  My team and mentors are always there to push me to succeed and are always willing to help me along the way.  They have instilled a trust in me that has helped me build a confidence within myself and in my work.  My favorite projects that I have worked on so far include Power Query and Power BI, where I manipulate data, build and create visualizations, and provide working dashboards for internal projects and clients.  I am excited for the rest of my time here at Schneider Downs and hope not only to develop my expertise, but also grow as a person, employee, and coworker!