Peter Tran, an ex-student at Mesa College, recently won the 2009 2-year CIWEA scholarship for best internship essay, following his work experience at Wachovia Securities. The essay’s theme is “Exploring Borders: How My Internship has influenced My Career Choice.” Peter explains the benefits of his internship in the following interview.

Tell us about your process choosing a career?
Coming into undergraduate school, I had plans to journey down the pre-medical path en route to medical school. I chose a major in psychology to supplement my pre-medical coursework and to understand people’s thoughts and behaviors, which I hoped would make me a better physician. As the years passed by, my motivation to study courses in biology, chemistry, and psychology ceased, and dreams to become a physician eventually diminished. It was then that I took the initiative to explore other fields that truly sparked passion.

My father’s interest in financial markets influenced my decision to look into the financial field. When I was younger, he often spoke about investments and market fluctuations at the dinner table, and he always started my mornings off with Bloomberg Television before driving me to school. While researching different academic fields, a TV program called Mad Money caught my attention, as did glorifying stories about the green intern who invested 100+ hours a week to learn on Wall Street. I subsequently applied for and obtained a finance internship from Wachovia Securities.

How did your internship progress?
The internship at Wachovia focused on assisting a top-producing financial advisor and his private wealth management team that dealt solely with high net-worth individuals. On my first day, a supervisor explained my duties, which I translated into grunt work for beginning interns. I spent time cold calling with a discouraging response rate. Determined, I walked into the office every morning with a mission of attaining one lead per shift to come to a luncheon presentation that would discuss investment strategies with potential client. As the internship progressed, I became involved with the actual presentation and I developed innovative techniques to market to prospective clients. These techniques were more efficient than cold-calling. Soon, I was researching mutual fund managers and using asset allocation software programs to help contribute to the development of the client portfolios.

What did you learn about the financial field from the internship?
As the internship endured, with further exposure to private wealth management, I learned that marketing, networking, and customer service were significant aspects of finance. As I was introduced to the financial world, I discovered other sectors that sparked my interest, such as corporate finance, private equity, and investment banking. These sectors all consisted of professionals with quick, creative minds and aptitudes for quantitative analysis, which described some of my notable characteristics.

Did you learn anything about yourself from the experience?
I learned that my communication skills were my assets. I was able to connect with people and effectively convey my mission and determination. With my skills and assets in mind, I plan to pursue a career in investment banking.

Wachovia provided me with valuable skills and lessons about possessing diligence and passion to succeed. My internship reinforced my desire to pursue a career in finance, and any doubt or questions about my future no longer exist.

For more information about this interview, contact Peter Tran at: tran.peter.n@gmail.com

Every year the California Internship and Work Experience Association (CIWEA) offers scholarships to 2-year and 4-year students that have completed an internship that was managed by a CIWEA member. Each winner is awarded $1500.00 plus expenses to attend the Award’s Luncheon held at the CIWEA annual conference. For more information, go to http://www.ciwea.org/