Lots of hard work and dedication seems to be paying off for 5 prepared Roadrunners.
Over twenty students from local and surrounding universities attended an all-day Finance and Accounting Externship at Harland Clarke last month. Eighteen of those students were from UTSA.
The day kicked off with a fun icebreaker and introduction of students, staff, and company leadership. Harland Clarke Leadership gave students further insight into their services, contracts, and overall culture of the organization. Former Externship participants shared their experiences and progression from Externship participant to Intern to full-time employee! Throughout the day students where challenged to put their skills to the test. Students were placed into groups and given case studies to evaluate and present recommendations on. Each department (Accounting, Finance, Internal Audit, Accounts Payable, and Treasury) presented their group with a real-life scenario that Harland Clarke encountered in the past and challenged them to analyze the situation and formulate recommendations as a group. The groups were asked to identify the risk factors and create a presentation for leadership on their strategic recommendations. The students worked diligently until the last minute to perfect their presentations and make a lasting impression.
The presentations were outstanding! One group was given the Best Presentation Award! True leaders emerged as the day went on and were even recognized from each group with prizes. The ultimate prize was the offer of a Summer Internship-which 5 UTSA students received and accepted! Check out some fun pictures from this wonderful experience below!
Externships are a great way to find out more about a company and their internship program. Externships are a ½ to full-day experience for a group of students to gain first-hand understanding of the organization, industry, and job function. This experience allows students to ask questions, and to observe the day-to-day business operations of a particular organization. Externships are designed to give students a preview of what it’s like to work for a particular company or in a particular industry. Employers also love externships because of the opportunity to identify potential interns and job candidates.
Many of Texas’s top organizations have hosted UTSA Externships: Pape-Dawson, CPS Energy, Dell, City Year, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, Southwest Research Institute, GM Financial, Frito-Lay, AXA Advsiors and more.
Want to know more about Externships? Make an appointment with your Career Counselor to make sure you are Externship ready and continue to check out Handshake for upcoming Externships as the year progresses.
