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 COVID-19 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 remotely on business-oriented projects.
Matt Blumenberg, a Class of 2022 finance and economics double major, spent his summer partaking in the Lerner College’s Lerner Careers on Wall Street program.
Q: What are you doing this summer to develop your readiness for your future career?
Blumenberg: This summer, I have been proudly participating in the Lerner Careers on Wall Street Program! The program has been immensely valuable in connecting myself and fellow participants to alumni, hiring managers and other professionals. Throughout the summer we have been networking with this network to receive insight in hopes to make meaningful connections and open doors to possible internships. The program also involves technical training and webinars.
Q: How did the coronavirus response impact your summer plans?
Blumenberg: Before the virus spread widely in the United States, I was networking, and in some cases, moving forward in the hiring processes for finance internships with Disney, Merrill Lynch and JPMorgan. Needless to say, the impact of the pandemic hauled all hiring to a complete stop. There were also travel plans I had with family and friends that unfortunately fell through.
Q: What did you learn through this experience that you don’t think you would have learned anywhere else?
Blumenberg: Through this experience, I learned that some things are out of everybody’s control no matter how well you plan for the future. The key is to be resilient and evolve to thrive in your new environment.
Q: What is an example of a time you were able to apply something you learned at Lerner to your efforts?
Blumenberg: On a broader scale, participating in the Lerner Careers on Wall Street program has allowed me to be able to flex the networking skills I learned from the Lerner Career Services Center, my professors and general business courses. All of these things have to lead to new flourishing professional relationships that are immensely valuable. In a more specific instance, I have also applied concepts of analyzing investment performance in my most recent internship that I learned in my Finance 311 course.
Q: What have you been doing this summer outside of professional development, just for you?
Blumenberg: Outside of my professional development, I have been working hard at my job as a barista at Starbucks. Additionally, I also have been focusing on personal fitness goals during quarantine. For fun, I have been spending a lot of time with my family and enjoying socially distant day trips with loved ones. I also focus on practicing gratitude each day. Overall I have been trying to improve each day and also treat myself to the things I love!