Each summer, students from the University of Delaware’s Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics gain valuable professional-level exposure through internships. This year, young scholars were able to traverse the complications of the COVID-19 pandemic by pursuing an array of internships, externships and other professional development opportunities. Each profile of this series will detail a Lerner student’s experiences working on business-oriented projects.
Markos Zerefos, Class of 2022 finance and entrepreneurship major with a minor in trust management, spent his summer interning as a private equity analyst at Atlantic CAN Capital.
Lerner: How did you find out about this internship? Why did you choose it?
Zerefos: One of the advisors from the Horn Entrepreneurship department, Ted Foltyn, knew of someone looking to hire interns for a private equity startup. I chose this internship because it allowed me to use all of the knowledge from my classes and prior work experience and put it into action to further develop my technical skills.
Lerner: Did the coronavirus pandemic impact your internship search and working experience? If so, how?
Zerefos: Since this internship was in Canada, I could not cross the borders due to the pandemic, so I had a remote internship. This actually worked out for the better because I was able to also do gig work for my boss with clients in England and Mexico.
Lerner: What did you learn from this internship that you think you would not have learned elsewhere?
Zerefos: I learned how to search for companies that could be potential acquisitions and then I learned how to underwrite them to determine our max offer.
Lerner: What is the most exciting task or project that you have done or are currently doing in your role?
Zerefos: I developed a proprietary model using over 40 variables to determine the best states for wind and solar energy projects.
Lerner: What is an example of a time where you were able to apply what you’ve learned at Lerner to your role?
Zerefos: From the beginning, I was working with various financial statements, so my classes from Lerner prepared me so that I would be able to understand the performance of a potential target acquisition.
Lerner: How do you think this internship will aid you with your professional goals?
Zerefos: This internship aided my hard and soft skills in finance so that I can have the necessary experience to advance in my career once I graduate.
Lerner: What are your plans or next steps in your career once your internship is over?
Zerefos: This internship exposed me to alternative investments, so I plan on pursuing a career in alternative asset management upon graduation.