Name: Sahil Shahi

Pronouns: He/Him/His

Semester of Internship: Summer 2025

Major: Information Systems

Current Class Level: Master's Student

This semester I completed a(n)...: Internship

Internship, Co-op, or Research Site (Company/Organization Name): SABSC UMBC

Location of the Organization (City, State): Baltimore, MD

Title of position: Financial Business Process Analyst Intern

Tell us about your internship, co-op, or research opportunity, including your day-to-day responsibilities:

During Summer 2025, I interned as a Financial Business Process Analyst Intern at the Student Affairs Business Services Center (SABSC) at UMBC, where I worked closely with finance and operations teams to enhance and automate internal billing workflows. My daily responsibilities included gathering user requirements, documenting functional specifications, and collaborating with cross-functional stakeholders to validate billing logic and reporting needs. I also led efforts to develop automated dashboards for forecasting and financial decision-making. One of the key accomplishments during this internship was proposing a streamlined workflow that reduced the billing cycle time by over 40%, significantly improving both accuracy and turnaround time.

Describe the process of obtaining your position. When did you hear of the position and submit your application?

I first heard about the internship opportunity through the UMBC Career Center's Handshake portal in early Spring 2025. The role aligned perfectly with my interests in analytics and process optimization, so I tailored my resume and submitted my application right away. After a shortlisting process, I was invited for an interview, where I shared my experience in dashboarding, stakeholder communication, and automation strategies. A few weeks later, I received an offer and officially started in June 2025.

What resources did you use to find your current experience?

UMBC Career Center, Handshake

What have you enjoyed the most about your position and organization?

What I enjoyed most was the opportunity to make a real impact within the university ecosystem. SABSC gave me the autonomy to analyze existing processes and propose solutions that directly benefited internal teams. The collaborative and mission-driven environment helped me learn how to align technology solutions with operational needs, all while working with some incredibly supportive mentors.

How do you believe you have made an impact through your work?

My work helped reduce the billing process time by approximately 40% to 60%, improving both accuracy and efficiency. The dashboards and documentation I created are now being used by leadership for ongoing financial planning. By identifying process gaps and providing automation strategies, I contributed to a more transparent and scalable billing system that will continue to benefit departments beyond my internship period.

What advice would you give to another student who is seeking an internship or similar experience?

Start early and leverage all of UMBC's resources, especially the Career Center and Handshake. Tailor your resume for every opportunity, and don't underestimate the value of on-campus roles. Most importantly, during your internship, be proactive, ask questions, and document everything these small habits can lead to big results.

Please provide a short reflection or quote about what you liked most about your position / earning internship credit / working with the Career Center.

Working at SABSC helped me apply my classroom knowledge in a real-world setting while making a measurable impact. The UMBC Career Center and Handshake made it incredibly easy to discover this opportunity and prepare for it with confidence.

Welcome back to the Spring semester!

Despite the challenges of the past year, the CAHSS research portfolio continues to grow in scope, complexity, and impact. CARAT is proud to work alongside you to advance these efforts. It's been nothing short of inspiring watching the resilience and brilliance of CAHSS faculty as we settle into new and renewed funding paradigms. 

This Spring, we will continue to offer a robust slate of programming and support for both new and experienced grantees. 

On February 18th and 19th, we will hold our first Mini Consultation sessions of the year. These 15-minute sessions can be used to discuss your research/creative achievement project ideas at any stage. They can be held in-person or virtually.

Sign Up Here!

We will also be offering additional targeted sessions on award management and grant opportunities, and we're especially excited about the launch of our new Roadmap for pre-award processes that we hope will make proposal development clearer, more transparent, and more efficient. 

Stay tuned for more announcements on these offerings shortly! 

Of course, please feel free to reach out to us at any time, whether you have a development request, are exploring a new funding opportunity, or are ready to begin the proposal submission process: 

Request a Consultation with CARAT

Email: carat@umbc.edu

See you on campus,

The CARAT Team