Internship Spotlight
At Providence, one of the highlights of the high school curriculum is internships. An internship provides hands- on exposure to an industry or field that matches a student’s interests. It gives them insight into potential career paths early on as well as providing mentorship opportunities. We pair our students with seasoned professionals and begin building meaningful connections.
Peyton Bolynn is one of our students who has been an intern, and he shared his experience in a Q&A.
Where was your internship? Mrs. Julie set me up with a financial advisor, part of an investment management firm.
Why did you choose that one? I’ve always had an interest in stocks and managing money, especially personal finance, and this seemed like a great opportunity.
What did you learn? I learned a lot about the job. I had assumptions that were just wrong. For example, I thought that the job was mainly selecting stocks for portfolios. There is a lot more of a personal side to it, more than selecting stocks. A financial advisor takes a client out to lunch, plays golf, talks to them, and has lots of meetings to keep them up to date. There is a lot of paperwork, too, and much less selecting of stocks than I thought.
I also learned how dominant mutual funds are in building a portfolio. I thought that people built their portfolios mainly with individual stocks.
Tell about a specific or typical day in the internship.
We went over his work, without seeing any client information, of course. I saw the different documents that are common in FA, like stock suggestions, investor profile questionnaires. I also became familiar with a lot of beginner places he goes to look for stock suggestions.
Did your internship change the way you invest? Not right now. Because I’m young I’m capable of taking risk, but it encouraged me to look at mutual funds as an option in the future. It also introduced me to one place I can use to learn about investments.
Did you gain insight into what classes you should take in college? Yes. I signed up for accounting (one of the hardest classes I’ve ever had), as well as business management. I also had a better idea of which math classes to take.
Did the internship help you know more about what you plan to do later on? Yes. It really opened up my eyes. I need to explore my career options more. I’m still leaning toward financial advising, but because it’s less with the stock selecting and more with the interpersonal and paperwork, I’m also thinking about being a stock analyst or a CFO, where I would make money decisions for a company.
Peyton is a prime example of how an internship benefits a high school student. He feels more equipped with practical knowledge of what a financial advisor does. He’s gained valuable skills that he can use now. And he certainly has a competitive edge as he navigates his future personally, academically, and professionally.