Name: Kiran Pookote
CFS Concentration & Year:  BFS, 2009
Internship: Morgan Stanley Smith Barney
Major /Minor: Economics Major, Math and Religious Studies Minors, Certificate in Financial Economics from Kellogg
Graduation Year: 2011
Current Position: Civic Consulting Alliance Fellow

Describe your CFS internship and how it helped you either in interviews, job opportunities or graduate school applications?
My CFS internship proved to be extremely helpful as I looked for internships my junior and senior year. My internship through CFS taught me valuable skills such as how to be successful in the workplace. Throughout the internship, my manager was very committed to my professional development and gave me opportunities to drive projects. Therefore, the program really helped me in terms of giving me building blocks to talk about in interviews.

Did you see it as a future career when you took the internship? 
Yes, when I took the internship I was interested in exploring the financial services industry. My experience there taught me a lot, including a better understanding about the field in general. Over time, I explored other options and ended up in consulting right now.

Please briefly explain what you are doing now?
I currently work with the Civic Consulting Alliance which does pro bono consulting with the City of Chicago and Cook County. We work with leaders in the City and County to improve the region. Projects span a variety of core areas such as healthcare, education, public safety, and economic growth.

Is there a link between your CFS experience and what you are doing now? 
While there may not be a direct link, CFS gave me my first experience in a truly professional setting. It helped me form a basis in which I built my skills of being a professional and for how I carry myself in the workplace.

What advice do you have for students at NU considering the program? 
First of all I’d say go for it. CFS is a wonderful experience and having a structured internship program is very helpful. For instance, the class is great for comparing and contrasting different student experiences and it creates a great support network.

How can CFS students make the most of their experience?
It’s important to go into the internship and class component with an open mind. Both are fantastic opportunities to learn and both components can really complement each other. It’s easy to get wrapped up in focusing on the job and future career opportunities, but I would encourage CFS students to focus more on how they can learn the most. That is going to be how they can maximize their experience in such a great program.