Name: Sungwan

Year: Sophomore

Major(s): Mathematics/Economics

CFS Concentration: Business Field Studies

My internship search was excruciating at the beginning because I did not hear back from any firm at the beginning, even after applying to more than 40 different companies. Karen has worked especially hard for us this quarter, and I thank her a lot for not giving up on us until the end. Her hard work paid off in the end. I did get a few interviews and was successful in one of them. It was a very last minute decision because I got my work authorization on the Monday of the week that I started working. Even though my internship search process was painful, my internship experience has been very rewarding so far.

I am interning in a public finance division at Ramirez & Co. From day one, I was given a first year analyst’s work. Since I dived straight into work, it was really tough. At first, I did not understand what any of the technical terms meant. I did not even have a firm understanding of what bond meant. After hours of reading Official Statements and CAFRs, I now understand how the underwriting process works for municipal bonds. I am more than halfway done with the internship, but there is still more to learn everyday. Whenever I feel comfortable with something, they give me a new project so I will get as much exposure as possible. Everyday is busy with a lot of days working overtime, but at the end of the day I am proud to work at Ramirez. I would take this internship if I could do Chicago Field Studies again.