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.
Yu Gu, Class of 2022 Ph.D. in economics, spent her summer as a graduate intern on the Lending Analytics team at Chase.
Lerner: How did you find out about this internship? Why did you choose it?
Gu: The Economics Department shared the internship opportunity, and I learned more details through Lerner Career Services Center. I think this internship is an excellent opportunity to apply data analytics skills and enhance business insights.
Lerner: Did the coronavirus pandemic impact your internship search and working experience? If so, how?
Gu: Due to the coronavirus pandemic, I have not had the typical final year. As a job seeker, I felt difficulty getting responses from employers. The Covid shock affected the job search responses.
Lerner: What did you learn from this internship that you think you would not have learned elsewhere?
Gu: I learned how to articulate business insights from big data. Since strategic decisions are based upon the hidden story of data, I collected data from different sources and acquired the skill of querying relevant databases to conduct business analysis.
Lerner: What was the most exciting task or project that you did in your role?
Gu: I undertook an exciting task to focus on translating data into insights that drive lending strategies. My work identified and measured the performance to influence strategies behind the targeting of critical initiatives.
Lerner: What is an example of a time where you were able to apply what you’ve learned at Lerner to your role?
Gu: I applied practical skills and programming techniques of analysis learned from Lerner when carrying out data analytics tasks. The skills and tools I learned help me quickly put the responsibilities on my shoulders.
Lerner: How do you think this internship will aid you with your professional goals?
Gu: This internship with Chase helps sharpen my business sense and enhances my presentation skills in a professional manner. It also helps me think through things more clearly in multiple ways and make more informed decisions. One of the valuable things about it is learning more about real business, which will allow me to be successful in the future.
Lerner: What are your plans or next steps in your career now that your internship is over?
Gu: Completing this internship is an essential milestone in my career development journey. I want to continue my career path in the quantitative analytics field and consistently develop experience, knowledge and expertise to add more value.