Internship Spotlight: Emily Osburn, Cornerstone Advisors

Emily Osburn '23 BSBA (Marketing and Entrepreneurship) was a Management Consulting Intern at Cornerstone Advisors in Scottsdale, AZ.

What was the process of getting this internship, job, or summer experience?

I found the internship on Handshake and Linkedin. I applied on Linkedin. Shortly after applying, the recruiter reached out and requested a work sample. I had three interviews. One with the recruiter. This one was relatively casual. She wanted to get to know me and see what my experiences were and what I was looking for in an internship. The next interview was with her boss. This one was a bit more intense. She asked more in depth, specific questions about my experiences. The questions were behavioral and situational questions. Finally, I was given a case study and given a week to prepare a presentation to give to a Consultant and a Managing Director. Shortly after this interview, I was extended the internship offer. 

What was a typical day like?

Every day was different. Each week we had a few "classes" where we learned banking industry essentials, the role of the consultant, and advanced Excel skills. We also had the opportunity to hear from previous interns or other employees from Consultants to Partners each week. 

Many of us had the opportunity to sit in on client calls with our mentors. We met weekly with our mentors to discuss projects, goals and rapport. We met bi-weekly with our assigned Partner Liaison. This was more of a casual meeting to discuss how the internship was going and how it was shaping our future outlook.

We also met multiple times per week with our intern groups to work on our Capstone Projects. The interns were split up by Undergraduate and MBA interns. The undergrad interns researched Blockchain and its potential applications in Banking. The MBA interns researched Decentralized Finance and its potential applications in Banking. We were tasked with giving an informative presentation with a prescriptive "So What?" message, answering the questions: what should small to medium sized banks and credit unions be doing about this technology, and how can Cornerstone help our clients with this technology. 

What was your favorite part of the experience?

My favorite part of the experience was getting to know the other interns, working on client projects, researching Blockchain for our Capstone, and learning about the company and the culture. 

If you worked on a big project, please describe it below:

I had multiple projects. One was the Blockchain Capstone that I described above. Another was researching industries and sub-industries for embedded finance and how much supply and demand there was for embedded finance in each industry. From there, I identified major Fintech companies and the banks that were heavily involved in this area. This was compiled in a spreadsheet that I organized for my Mentor. 

Another project I worked on for my mentor utilized my Marketing skills. I was tasked with refreshing the Research and Fintech advisory webpage because it mis-marketed what is practice actually did. I presented my website mock-up to the Marketing department for them to implement. 

I was also tasked with giving an "About Me" presentation to the whole company. This was an opportunity to share a bit about ourselves to the company and discuss our projects and takeaways from the internships, while sharpening up our presentation skills. Finally, I worked on creating a couple of client deliverables. I utilized my Excel skills to create dynamic Pivot Charts to depict market research for clients. 

What did you find most challenging?

The most challenging thing was learning about the banking industry. It wasn't something that I was very familiar with, however, I was eager to learn, and by the end of the internship, I took away so much new knowledge about banking, Decentralized Finance, and Blockchain. 

What did you learn?

I learned that banking is actually a very complex and interesting industry! I learned a lot about myself, professionally and personally. It reassured my desire to work in consulting. 

What advice do you have for other students looking for a similar experience, or advice for future students to be successful?

When applying, be open to companies and industries you may not be familiar with. There is always so much to learn! While interning, make sure to says yes to everything. Work on those extra projects, sit in on those meetings. They are all very important learning experiences that will only benefit you. Put yourself out there with the other interns! Go to coffee or lunch with everyone, they all have great stories and advice you can learn from, and you could create some great professional friendships!

How did Eller Prepare you for this experience?

All the presentation skills you learn in BCOM are very important! So are the Excel and technology projects in all the MIS classes. These classes give you a good foundation to take with you to your internship or full-time job and build upon them.  

Did you feel supported by the company or organization you worked with? Please share what they did to help you feel included. This could include general inclusion as an intern, concerted efforts around diversity/equity/inclusion, or something specific in response to COVID-19.:

I felt very supported by the company. Having direct access to my Mentor and my Partner Liaison, as well as other Consultants and Directors made me feel very welcomed and supported. As far as DEI efforts, the company is small and did not have any established DEI efforts. However, this is something that is currently in the works within the company.