Hello everyone my name is Lucas McGrann. I am from Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. I am entering my final semester at Pittsburgh. After my final semester I will be entering a master’s program in accounting. I am a very outgoing person who has a wide variety of interests. I am a conversationalist and an avid outdoorsman. I enjoy skiing and hiking. I enjoy all music and I love playing the piano. I am a passionate chess player and I always have a board on me at all time. I love languages and I am currently trying to learn as many possible.
I am studying Accounting and Finance at the Katz Pittsburgh School of business. While my studies focus on accounting and finance principles, I have strived to achieve a well rounded versatile education. I am a profound student of philosophy and psychology along with economics. I enjoy reading about all subjects and I believe this is the key to reaching your minds full potential. In terms of business, my focus and strengths have always been strategy and organizational behavior. I have a very future oriented and predictive mindset which helps me analyze external and internal factors.
Professionally, I have worked in a wide variety of settings in both the private and public sectors. I currently work for a consulting group that specializes in family businesses. Furthermore, this past year I worked in international taxes for a multinational corporation. Previously, I worked in Colombia and Costa Rica. In my extensive time in Latin America I perfected my Spanish and learned extensively about the socio, political, and economic factors that govern the region. Additionally I have worked with families in Central America on their strategy and succession planning.
Some of the projects that I have worked on include implementation of a board of directors and shareholder agreements, strategic initiatives, philanthropic foundations, and improvement of organizational processes.
I choose the Madrid internship International program for two primary reasons; the ability to live and experience another part of the world, and the chance to work for a company abroad. I have worked every summer in the United States, and my academic schedule allowed me to pursue this opportunity. While I am not receiving income the intangible portion will outweigh the lack of financial compensation. Professionally, I hope to gain valuable experience that will help develop my KSAs. The way in which business practices are conducted changes from country to country. Gaining this insight will help my long term development as a professional and will allow me to add more value to my organizations of the future.
Academically, I hope to research and study the economy and history of the European Union and its respective nations. Understanding a countries and the surrounding areas history is crucial to reading between the lines of how our world really works. I have already spoken to Spaniards about the intricacies of their economy and the politics and the discoveries are fascinating. I hope to dive deeper and continue to ask questions about the reality of the people and the government.