I’ve been interning for a financial consulting firm named Winnovart who specialize in obtaining funding for small businesses. My specific internship has focused on blended finance which is a form of funding where SMEs get grants from the U.K. government and capital from private investors who are usually venture capitalists but can also include family offices, trusts, and universities. The first month of work has been a challenge while trying to become more familiar with the industry and balancing that with school and travel. Another challenge has been the work setting because the offices are housed in a WeWork site called the London Chamber of Commerce. While it’s interesting to meet different types of people who work in different fields, it can be distracting to work in such a busy and active environment where people are constantly interacting with one another. I have found it difficult in the first month to try to connect to my boss and co-workers. One reason I think this is happening is because Winnovart is an international company with offices in the U.K., Norway, and Romania and intercultural differences might be getting in the way of me trying to learn more about my colleagues. For example, my boss is from Romania and my two closest co-workers who I interact with the most are originally from China and Bulgaria. Advice I would give to new interns next semester is to try to get to know your coworkers right away. It’s so much more enjoyable to work with people you enjoy being around and are more comfortable to ask for help if needed. 

            Professional goals I hope to achieve throughout this experience include developing intercultural competencies and learning transferable skills I can apply to internships in the future and my coursework back at Pitt. This is such an invaluable experience where I can balance school and work in one of the most culturally diverse and global cities in the world. One transferable skill that I want to work on the most is efficient communication is a business setting. This is my first internship or job working in a professional business setting and working with colleagues who don’t speak English as their first language and are from different cultures is a great way to learn to respectfully interact with all types of people. Academically, my goal is to broaden my horizons and look at things with a more open mind. One way I hope to achieve this is that I’m taking arts and science electives that I usually would not take at Pitt. I think that my coursework is going to be a challenge but I’m eager to take classes where I’m not as comfortable.