Andrew Williamson '21

1) What are some skills/competencies (NACE) that you developed during your internship?

Financial analysis (understanding internal rate of return, debt service coverage ratio, capital recovery, current ratio etc), working with Excel and Word, financial writing, and working in a remote environment.

2) How does this experience connect to your future career goals?

This experience furthered my interest in working in the financial world. I was able to develop my analytical skills along with my writing skills throughout this internship. I have also learned to use the resources at your hands when your colleagues might not be available so that you can complete a project by yourself which is highly important when your colleagues are working on their own projects.

3) What advice would you give to other Holy Cross students?

I would advise other students to ask as many questions to their colleagues as they can in order to gain a better understanding of the work they are doing, and how the work they do impacts those around them. I found the work in low income housing to be extremely rewarding, because the work I did helped upper management analyze investments for affordable housing in greater New England. I was able to see the housing developments invested in by People’s United in Worcester, which I pass by whenever I am driving near campus. I would encourage students to seek work in which they make a real impact along with seeking opportunities where they can learn as much as they can in a short period. The training and mentorship offered to me during my time at People’s was invaluable, and I will take the lessons learned (like making sure you know when meetings are, check your work at least twice, make sure you know what you are doing with an Excel model before you change anything to name a few) with me for the rest of my career.