By Summer Intern Aidan Choi

This summer, I was delighted to accept the offer to serve as an Internal Audit Intern for the Pension Boards' 2021 Summer Internship Program. It was an excellent opportunity to learn about the organization's internal audit function. I have always dreamed about working as a future auditor, and this internship helped me gain real life experience, while also learning the importance of teamwork and working in a caring environment. The Pension Boards allowed me to use the auditing knowledge I gained in school such as understanding the firm and its structure before starting the substantive internal audit procedure.

During our first week, the interns were assigned a Capstone Project where all interns had to analyze Pension Boards’ member data and use the findings to create targeted marketing materials and develop strategies on how to increase participation in Target Annuitization Date (TAD) Funds and the Employee Retirement Contribution Account, a tax-sheltered annuity or TSA. At first, I did not know where to begin. However, the interns held weekly team meetings to discuss the assignment and we learned how to apply our school knowledge and skills to move forward with the project. For example, the Investment Intern and the Health Intern formulated tables that analyzed member data for those participating in the TSA plan and TAD Funds. This information allowed us to develop creative ideas on how to market these products. Overall, participating in the Capstone project was a great opportunity to build teamwork skills.

I met very nice team members who allowed me to connect with other staff, and who always pushed me to learn each day. I am thankful for the Anna Ng, General Auditor, who always stayed on top of the audit and helped me understand risk management procedures. She always gave clear guidance. I also want to thank my mentor, Paul Bomba, Quality Assurance Manager, who helped me settle in with the Quality Control Internal Audit Team. Whenever I needed help, he was the one who was always there to assist me. Lastly, I would like to give a big thanks to Melissa Esquilin, the Quality Assurance Analyst, who has 17 years in this industry! I cannot forget the one-on-one walk-through meetings we had together because it was so helpful for me to create the necessary documentation for my project assignment. Overall, I am delighted that I am working with such a great team that is always open to new ideas.

I strongly recommend that future interns apply for the Pension Boards Summer Internship Program.