Name: Rawdah Ahmed
Internship, Co-op, or Research Site: Textron Systems
Position Title: Financial Analyst
Major or Program: Political Science
Current Class Level: Senior
Work Term: Spring 2022, Summer 2022, Fall 2022
Tell us about your internship, co-op, or research opportunity, including your day-to-day responsibilities.
As a financial analyst co-op, I work with other analysts on the "manned & unmanned systems" financial teams at Textron Systems in Hunt Valley, MD. Some of my daily responsibilities include administering weekly financial reports based on labor and material "actuals" data, amend budget forecasts to properly represent how the company was fairing financially, analyze trends within the production and sale of products, and presenting all of this corroborated information to executives & managers to ultimately aid them in making decisions to promote growth and mitigate risk to the company's future financial health.
Describe the process of obtaining your position. When did you hear of the position and submit your application?
I applied to this position on-line, using UMBCworks after I saw it pop up on me "recommended" home page. I completed a phone interview with a recruiter and then interviewed with the directors of finance at the company before being offered the position & ultimately accepting.
Which of the following resources did you use to find your current experience?
UMBCworks, LinkedIn or Other Social Media
What have you enjoyed the most about your position or organization?
I have enjoyed all the experience I have gained working in the office with the finance team and the ability Textron gave me to continue pursuing my Bachelor's and also develop skills that would help me advance. Working side-by-side with people who are veterans at the company has allowed me to quickly develop the technical skills needed for many financial roles, as well as the personal confidence in my analysis to be able to interpret trends and make suggestions to the team and my managers regarding financial matters in the company. It has also allowed me to drastically expand my networking and interpersonal skills as the company is part of a large, cross-country organization and allows lots of opportunity for the interaction of different branches.
How do you believe you have made an impact through your work?
I believe I have opened the door for more co-ops and interns to join the team in the future, and primed the current team to working with someone who is in college/still in the stages of developing their career. While I was being trained on the various reports that need weekly/monthly administration, I created clear and easy-to-follow process guides (for myself to reference) that will hopefully help any other new analysts joining the company to easily move through their training process.
What advice would you give to another student who is seeking an internship or similar experience?
Reach out to recruiters at the company to which you've applied using social media liked LinkedIn (if their contact information/email is not readily available using a google search/ on the job database).
Please provide a short reflection or quote about what you liked most about your position / earning internship credit / working with the Career Center.
It felt really great to not only be compensated for my position through monetary means, but also be able to receive credit for the work that I have done; it is always a challenge to balance working everyday and attending classes throughout the year while putting your best foot forward in both ventures. To have the opportunity to submit my co-op for class credit has allowed me to satisfy my graduation requirements & set me up to graduate early for my class, this fall 2022.
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