I am an assurance intern in the Philadelphia office, and, although I have only been in the office for two weeks now, my experience has been phenomenal. This is my first internship experience and while I was excited, there was a part of me that was nervous as well. It’s also my first experience in an office environment, so that added to my nervousness. However, immediately after meeting everyone at the office, my nerves went away. Everyone has been so welcoming since the first day, and they always ensure that we know we can ask for help if needed.
My first week was filled with meetings and trainings, and it was a wonderful experience meeting everyone from the other offices. First, I was trained on the company policies and transaction testing. During the second week, we were trained on unsettled trade confirms, cash, custody statement, reconciliation and portfolio overview, as well as unsettled trade confirm receipt testing. I was able to prepare a couple unsettled trade confirmation letters for a fund as my first out-of-training project, which went well since we were trained specifically on this.
Since my first day, everyone in the office has been extremely helpful. I was nervous to ask for help in the beginning, but soon realized that everyone is so willing to help because they want you to succeed. I’ve learned a lot of new Excel shortcuts that have been helpful in terms of doing certain functions quicker and more efficiently.
A co-worker said something during one of our training sessions that has stuck with me, “you don’t know what you don’t know.” That quote was very inspiring and motivating and helped me look at things from a new perspective.
I look forward to the rest of my journey here at Cohen & Company, and I am excited to gain more hands-on experience and learn more from my mentors!
Shalini Katta, Temple University
