This summer, students from the University of Delaware’s Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics discovered new avenues for professional preparation and practical hands-on experience. Lerner College students pursued an array of internships, externships and other professional development opportunities. From MBA scholars to undergraduates entering their second year at UD, students across a spectrum of Lerner programs shared their experiences accomplishing an assortment of projects.
Our “My Summer Internship” series highlights these unique experiences, showcasing how students translated classroom knowledge into real-world success.
Azan Khan, Class of 2027, finance and operations management double major, spent his summer as financial analyst intern at Amazon.
Lerner: How did you find out about this internship? Why did you pursue it?
Khan: I found the Amazon Operations Finance Rotational Program internship while searching for finance opportunities where I could gain hands-on experience and see how financial analysis directly impacts business decisions. I pursued it because I wanted exposure to a fast-paced, large-scale operation where I could combine my interests in finance and operations while working on projects with real business impact.
Lerner: What was the most exciting task or project that you completed?
Khan: My most exciting project was building a financial model from the ground up to improve how Amazon forecasts the costs and productivity associated with launching new delivery stations. Through my analysis, I identified a significant gap in existing ramp-cost projections and developed a new methodology that better captured how different station types and operating cycles ramp over time. I ultimately had the opportunity to present my work to senior leadership, and the model was adopted as the standard methodology for forecasting future launches.
Lerner: What did you learn from the internship that you think you wouldn’t have learned elsewhere?
Khan: I learned how finance operates when decisions are being made at an extremely large scale and with imperfect information. The experience taught me that strong financial analysis is not just about building an accurate model; it is also about understanding the operation behind the numbers, challenging assumptions, communicating your findings clearly and creating something that business leaders can actually use to make decisions.
Lerner: What is an example of a time where you were able to apply what you’ve learned at Lerner to your role?
Khan: My coursework in finance, operations management and data analysis gave me a strong foundation for approaching my internship project. I applied concepts such as forecasting, cost analysis, sensitivity analysis and data-driven decision-making while building my model, and my Excel and analytical experience helped me work through large datasets and translate the results into actionable insights. Seeing concepts I had learned in the classroom influence real operational decisions was one of the most rewarding parts of the internship.
Lerner: Did you face any challenges during your internship? If so, what was the issue and how did you overcome it?
Khan: One of my biggest challenges was starting with a problem that did not have a clear solution or roadmap. I had to learn unfamiliar operational processes, work through large amounts of data and determine which factors actually drove costs and productivity. I overcame this by asking questions, speaking with stakeholders across different teams, testing my assumptions against historical performance and continuously refining the model based on what I learned.
Lerner: What are your career plans, and how do you think the internship will push you closer to your professional goals?
Khan: My career goal is to build a career in finance where I can use data and financial analysis to help companies make better strategic and operational decisions. This internship brought me closer to that goal by giving me hands-on experience solving a real business problem, working with cross-functional teams and presenting my recommendations to senior leadership. It also gave me a much clearer understanding of the type of work and environment I want to pursue after graduation.