Meant to Be

I didn’t think I believed in fate, but reflecting on my path to this internship at Schneider Downs, I can only come to the conclusion that maybe it was where I was destined to be.

The accounting department at Duquesne University offers a wonderful mentorship program to sophomores, where we are each paired with one professional in the Pittsburgh business world. Because of my minor in Information Systems, I was paired with Dan Desko at a firm called Schneider Downs, who, as I understood it, did something that would let me have a look into both worlds I studied.

Thus began my time with Dan as my mentor, who explained to me over a Primanti Brothers lunch what he did - IT Auditing. I had no idea that such a career path even existed, but I was fascinated with the idea. Towards the end of my sophomore year Dan invited me to lunch with several other members of the IT Auditing staff, and then brought me back to the office for a tour and one-on-one sessions with several Schneider Downs employees, who explained to me what they did. Even then I was awed by the kindness of Schneider Downs employees; Dan organized the entire day and several people spent an hour of their day to talk to me.

When it came time to apply for internships, Schneider Downs was my first choice. The experiences that I had already had, and the excitement I felt to work for such an interesting, and growing, firm made it the logical choice for me.

And this really has been an incredible internship. I was nervous to start, but my fears were immediately eased by the kindness of staff that I had come to know and by meeting and befriending fellow interns. I felt valued when several staff members scheduled an hour of their time with both me and the other IT Audit intern to give us overviews of each type of client or reporting technique we might encounter. Each day I have learned something new, by working for and with different people, clients, and methods of reporting. I am excited to come to work every day. I feel like a valued part of the IT Audit department and was even able to travel! (To DC!) I can’t say enough wonderful things about this experience.

I can’t pinpoint exactly which moment was the one when I knew Schneider Downs was the place for me, and I can’t explain how all these things seemed to come together to make it perfect, but I know that I am infinitely grateful for this internship and can’t wait to see what the future has in store for me at Schneider Downs. 

Contact us if you have questions regarding Schneider Downs internship opportunities

Visit the Our Thoughts On blog to read more about Schneider Downs intern experiences