Name: Bintou Dembele
Class Year: 2024
Major: Sociology
Minor: Data Science
Hometown: New York, NY
Internship Organization: Paragon One
Job Title: PWC Consulting Extern
Location: Remote
What's happening at your internship? We would love to hear what kind of work you are doing!
In this internship, my role was to help a non-profit organization, Silicon Valley Urban Debate League, fundraise money so they can continue their programs. I had to research multiple potential donors that will cater to this organization and fund them the amount of money that they need.
Why did you apply for this internship?
I applied to this internship because consulting is a field that I've heard many people talk about, but I didn't quite understand what it meant. I did research on what being a consultant is, and it aligned with my own goals and interest, so I applied to see if I really enjoyed this field.
Was there anything special about how you found this internship?
My friend actually recommended this internship to me. It was almost towards the end of the semester, and I didn't hear back from any internship I had applied to, so I decided to apply for this, and luckily I was accepted.
What has been your favorite part of this internship?
My favorite part was the company and weekly meetings we had and doing the research in general. It felt good helping an organization solve a problem because that's what I love doing: solving people's problems. Also, in the meetings, hearing from professionals and other students who were also in the program was refreshing and helpful because I received valuable insights in those meetings.
What is something you have learned from your internship that you didn't expect?
I learned time management. I thought I was good at managing time, but this internship has helped me realize that I need structure in my day-to-day to complete assignments on time. It was a struggle, but I did it, which I am very proud of.
Working remotely for the first time? What has that experience been like for you?
Yes, this was my first time working remotely. It has been very flexible because I can do other things while still being in tune with the meetings and the assignments that I have to do.
Can you talk about the skills you are learning and why they are important to you?
The skills I've learned were Powerpoint/presentation software, contact search, effective presentation, creative problem solving, and secondary research. These are important because if I decide to work with bigger consultant jobs, I'll have to know these things to be very helpful to my clients.
Visit the Summer Internship Stories page to read more about student internship experiences.