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Meet CrusaderIntern Emmanuel Wu ’19

Meet Emmanuel Wu’19 Market Analysis Intern at Northern Light, LLC

Tell us about where you are interning and the kind of work you are doing.

I interned at Northern Light, LLC in Boston, MA. As a market analysis intern, I analyzed markets within certain industries and presented my analyses through PowerPoint slides. My PowerPoint slides will eventually be displayed on Northern Light’s online market research dashboard. My industry focus has been IT. The markets in IT include cloud computing, artificial intelligence, telecom, big data, etc. Conducting market analysis involves gathering market data and news reports, examining market information, discussing market information with colleagues, and extracting key arguments from news reports. As for presenting analyses through Powerpoint slides, it includes searching and posting relevant graphs and diagrams, writing brief paragraphs that sum up certain market topics, and simplifying information for easy visualization.

Give us an example of how you have applied your academic learnings to your internship?

Since I am an economics major, most of the knowledge I learned from Principles Of Macroeconomics (ECON 111) have been used to the fullest during my internship. The terminologies I learned from the course have allowed me to easily understand the lingoes in news reports and market data. In addition, the knowledge I acquired from Financial Accounting (ACCT 181) has helped me to interpret the numerical meanings in market data and financial statements.

What has surprised you about being an intern?

Before I entered my internship, I underestimated the level of difficulty to present market analyses through PowerPoint slides. During the first three weeks, I struggled to complete several workloads on time, since I was not used to transform market information into graphs and brief synopses. Additionally, I was not very familiar with the IT industry, which usually slowed down my pace in gathering the correct market information. In order to comprehend IT news and its market information, I had to spend extra time self-studying IT terms and ask my supervisor a lot of questions regarding technology businesses. Despite several challenging experiences, I was surprised how approachable my supervisor was whenever I asked him questions. Interestingly, consulting with my supervisor was very similar to discussing my papers with my professors at Holy Cross.

How did this experience influence or connect to your future career plans / goals?

My experience at Northern Light has led me to thoroughly learn about the IT industry, sharpen my analytical skills, and develop the habit to read the news on a daily basis. I realized that my internship is well connected to finance, which is the field that I aspire to enter in the future. My understanding of the IT markets and familiarity with the methods to conduct market analysis would benefit me in creating projects and doing research in the financial industry. Furthermore, I would be able to explain my reasoning to people that are interested in or uncertain with the fluctuations in the technology markets. While part of my job is to read through news reports, I have been forced to read multiple news articles on a daily basis. This part of the job has in fact developed my habit to follow closely with political and financial news. I believe that this habit is mandatory for anyone that works in finance.

Any internship advice to pass on to other Holy Cross students?

I would highly encourage interns to ask many questions and demonstrate a “can do” attitude during challenging times. As I have mentioned above, asking my supervisor questions was very similar to going to my professors’ office hours. Although there will be challenging times during the internship, I would suggest to remain patient and persevere during the process. My experience has taught me that demonstrating a “can do” attitude is the key to successfully persevere during hardship.
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My Alumni Job Shadowing Experience at Bocoup

Name: Francy Mata
Class Year: 2019
Major: Economics
Shadowing Visit Site: Bocoup

Describe your visit and what did you gain from the experience?

My visit was very helpful for me. In the beginning of the day, I was able to sit down with the alumni and talk about his experience transitioning from Holy Cross to the workplace. One thing I was particularly worried about was finding a job when it came time to graduate. He was able to provide some very helpful tips to overcome some of the problems students face when attempting to find employment. Throughout the rest of the day, I was able to learn about Bocoup and their role in helping other firms with their software needs and desire. All in all, it was a very beneficial experience.

How did this experience influence or connect to your future career plans/goals?

One major way this experience influences my future career goals is that software was an industry I was considering getting into prior to my visit. Throughout my visit, I was able to learn what the daily life of an employee in software was like. By gaining this insight I have learned that my perception of what software was like was slightly misaligned to what it actually is. Because of this I have determined that software will not be an industry that I would like to get into when I graduate. I believe this visit will help me greatly in the future since I will have already determined that I will not be looking for employment in software. I will be able to avoid a lot of stress and save an enormous amount of time.

What is some helpful advice your alumni host shared with you?

One piece of advice that he shared was the idea that while academic achievement may be important it is not the only important aspect of the college experience. He encouraged me to find things I enjoy and can keep doing these things even if they are completely unrelated to my field study.

Why would you recommend the Alumni Job Shadowing Program to other students?

The Alumni Job Shadowing Program allowed me to not only be exposed to the professional world of software but it also allowed me to build a meaningful relationship with an alumni that I can draw back on. These reasons made AJSP invaluable.

Want to explore an interest? Consider applying to the Winter Break Alumni Job Shadowing Program and spend the day with an alum. Click the button below to learn more about the application process.
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My Alumni Job Shadowing Experience at GMO

Name: Jack McCabe
Class Year: 2019
Major: Economics and English
Shadowing Visit Site: GMO

Describe your visit and what did you gain from the experience?

During my visit, I got the opportunity to visit a few different desks on the GMO trading floor. In the morning I first attended the daily meeting where the head of the floor talks about the goals for the day and any news that was going on within the company itself. I then was able to visit a derivatives desk where I was actually able to see a few trades in action. Later in the day, I got the opportunity to sit in on an equities desk and then later a commodities desk. From this experience, I was able to gain a wide perspective on the various roles that make a trading floor operate.

How did this experience influence or connect to your future career plans/goals?

This experience really translated into my future because I always knew that I wanted to go into business when I was older, but I was still unsure as to what I wanted to do in business. This day helped me decide that a career in finance was right for me.

What is some helpful advice your alumni host shared with you?

Some really helpful advice that my alumni host shared with me was the importance of networking if I wanted to pursue a career in finance. My host also helped me through some career advice and how to go through an interview process at a place like GMO.

Why would you recommend the Alumni Job Shadowing Program to other students?

I highly recommend the Alumni Job Shadowing Program to other students because you get the chance to build a close relationship with an alum from the college. Networking is key especially in a field like finance, so the more people you know the better. Also, the program is just a great experience for people that are still unsure as to what they want to do when they leave Holy Cross.

The deadline to apply to this year’s Winter Break Alumni Job Shadowing Program is October 20th! Learn more and apply in Crusader Connections.

 
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My Alumni Job Shadowing Experience at Nike World Headquarters

Name: Jerome Ferrer Siangco
Class Year: 2019
Major: Asian Studies
Shadowing Visit Site: Nike World Headquarters

Describe your visit and what did you gain from the experience?

Through the Alumni Job Shadowing Program I had the opportunity to spend a full day at Nike World Headquarters. It was a Wednesday and Wednesdays are sock day for the Holy Cross alumni I was shadowing. Through meeting with various Nike executives, going into ~5 meetings, and touring the campus, I was able to gain a sense for how a product, the Nike Sock, grew from an idea into a product that is on the market. I went into meetings that covered the Nike Sock in North America to another meeting that discussed the global prescience of the Nike Sock. I gained a sense of how best to manage a team and attack a goal. Every meeting I went into, the Holy Cross alumni had a plan of attack. He knew what he wanted accomplished, how to get there, and trusted in his team to do their part. He lead by example and I learned a lot from him.

How did this experience influence or connect to your future career plans/goals?

This experience made me realize the importance, when thinking about a future workplace or career, of the work environment I would want to work in. I always thought I could adapt to any environment, however spending a day at a place like Nike made me rethink this. Through interacting with employees and spending a full day at Nike World Headquarters, I saw a sense of community that I appreciated. The work environment at Nike is one where ideas are allowed to flourish and people can try new concepts. I really connected with this work environment and I would want to work in an area similar to this.

What is some helpful advice your alumni host shared with you?

To take advantage of every opportunity presented and take risks. Try new ideas and see where they may lead. College is the chance to experiment, find what you are interested in and run with that. After College, take some time off before graduate school to gain some experience in the real world, either through working, a year or two of service, or even some traveling. Also throughout life, make connections, network, and maintain the relationships you form because at some point these relationships could come in handy.

Why would you recommend the Alumni Job Shadowing Program to other students?

I would recommend the Alumni Job Shadowing Program to other students because it provided me the chance to visually see what a Holy Cross education can lead to. I saw the skills I am currently learning in College, skills of a liberal arts education and working with others, in action through the alumni I was shadowing. From talking to the alumni I gained a sense of the passion he has for Holy Cross students and wanting to give back. Through my single day of shadowing came with it a long-term mentor that I know I can reach out to at anytime for assistance, whether it be for guidance or simply a check in. Also I got to see the behind the scenes working of an organization everyone knows about, Nike. It was a great overall experience and one I would love to do again!

Now accepting applications for the 2017 Winter Break Alumni Job Shadowing Program! Hurry the deadline to apply is October 20th. Learn more and apply using Crusader Connections.
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My Alumni Job Shadowing Experience: Communications

 

Full Name: Michael Morigi
Class Year: 2019
Major: Political Science, Economics
Shadowing Visit Site: GE Communications; Deirdre Latour (CCO of GE)

Describe your visit and what did you gain from the experience?

My visit was different than what I expected, but in a good way. When I was walking over to GE’s offices in Midtown Manhattan, I was expecting to essentially be following my host, Deirdre Latour (CCO of GE), for the entire day. If she was busy or working on sensitive topics, I expected to be attached to either her assistant or one of her team members.

In reality, Ms. Latour and her assistant scheduled a day that would turn out to be much more interesting. During my time at the GE offices, another Holy Cross sophomore and I spent one-on-one time with several young GE Communications employees from various divisions of the Communications team. During those informational Q&A sessions, we learned about their perceptions of GE and their work, and learned about how they navigated the post-undergraduate world.

Afterwards, Ms. Latour brought us to a GE 2016 recap and team-building workshop. From there, I got to see the full culture of the Communications team, and how various individual personalities interacted with each other.

When reflecting upon my shadowing day, I believe the real value-added was the exposure to another possible career path, a career path in which I can leverage my political science, critical thinking and communication skills. In addition, I finished the day with a better perception of GE itself.

How did this experience influence or connect to your future career plans/goals?

I do not believe this drastically altered my career aspirations, but my visit did convince me that my political science and economics double major could be used in fields beyond just government or finance. Many of the employees I talked to during the visit had degrees in public policy or political science. Some even came from finance backgrounds. Regardless of major, it seems like as long as you are actually interested in the subject matter and can pitch yourself right, your choice of major is not as consequential as some people make it seem.

What is some helpful advice your alumni host shared with you?

Ms. Latour was unable to spend too much one-on-one time with us during our visit (she was dealing with high-level meetings during the morning and, in the afternoon, she was leading the workshop). However, a reoccurring theme amongst the employees was the importance of finding what you love to do, and their encouragement for us to try any opportunity that sounds interesting or potentially enjoyable.

Why would you recommend the Alumni Job Shadowing Program to other students?

I would recommend the Alumni Job Shadowing Program to other students for a few reasons. One is that it is a great networking opportunity. Do not expect to get some sort of miraculous internship offer, but instead think of this shadowing opportunity as an informational interview. By putting yourself out there in a true work environment, you have the opportunity to network with not only the alumni but also various co-workers. If you play your cards right, you may be able to leverage these relationships going forward.

Second, it is an invaluable opportunity to see if a specific firm or field is right for you. Going into this shadow program, I was unsure if I would get any value or satisfaction out of shadowing a communications team. However, I was able to gain first-hand exposure to not only how the communications department of a multi-national firm works, but also how a real work-place team functions and flows.