Originally published October 4, 2016
By Brenda Simental
Senior, Finance
My dream is to be a financial analyst, and this past summer I was fortunate enough to intern at one of the world’s most prestigious multinational banking firms – The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.
Photo courtesy of Brenda Simental
I did a 10-week internship with the Loan Asset Management group (LAM), which is part of the Realty Management Division (RMD) in Irving, Texas. The Goldman Sachs’ culture is all about making an impact, and I felt great after I realized that I was treated as an analyst and not just an intern. This meant that I was given projects that added to the value of the group, the division and even the firm.
From June 2 through Aug. 10, I worked on project acquisitions, managed assets such as hotels and hospitals in Latin America, created financial models to evaluate different types of real estate, and participated in the creation of business plans that were presented to other Goldman Sachs divisions that impacted the firm’s investment portfolio.
I often found myself depending on the many skills I learned at The University of Texas at El Paso, such as how to solve problems and build relationships. The whole experience has made me more efficient in my preparation and execution of my tasks. I improved my modeling, analytical and presentation skills and learned a ton about finance, which I hope will make my upcoming labs and projects a little easier.
When I first started, I knew that those 10 weeks would be the most challenging of my life because I would be working in one of the world’s most competitive industries. Despite this, I felt very prepared because I had previously completed a two-week Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO) Career Program in New York City. I was placed in the SEO Investment Banking Real Estate Cohort, where I was exposed to the best training on Wall Street. That program’s exhaustive training and follow-up support helped me to be successful at Goldman Sachs.
I strongly believe that UTEP has the tools for all its students to succeed in any field. It is up to us, the students, to take advantage of those tools and opportunities when they are presented to us. I am happy to say that I have accepted a full-time offer from Goldman Sachs and will join the firm after I graduate in May 2017.