Internship Spotlight: Ryan Sullivan, State Street Bank and Trust

Ryan Sullivan is an Economics major graduating in the spring of 2023.  This summer he interned with State Street Bank and Trust as a Client Conversions Intern in Boston, Massachusetts.

What was your favorite part of the experience?

My favorite part of this internship was learning about the experiences different individuals throughout the company. One that stuck out to me was Julia McCarthy the vice president of State Street told an amazing story about how she faced adversity as a women in this industry to becoming one of the most influential individuals in the industry. The piece of advice she gave the interns was to put yourself in places that are outside of your comfort zone and learn about different parts of the company by reaching out to people you don't know to ask about what they do because no one will ever turn away a 20 minute phone meeting or phone call.

What did you find most challenging?

One of my biggest challenges throughout this experience was virtual communication, meaning reaching out by constantly asking for more work while also trying to learn from people in different divisions without the personal connection of meeting in person.

What did you learn?

One of the most valuable things I've learned this summer is to be curious as an intern and asking questions goes a long way. What you get out of your internship is what you put into it. I learned very quickly that reaching out to someone that I didn't know within state street isn't all that scary and no body would every turn me away. People want to share their story with you, all you have to do is ask the questions.