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SCIP Interns visit Mitchell & Titus
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By Janis Mahnure
August 3, 2010
The concrete pavement sparkles and in the middle of the chaotic city the lustrous trees are humming along with the children as the suit-clad auditors walk past without a glance. Entering One Battery Plaza, as the cotton candy clouds reflect on the tinted windows, the interns are instantly beamed at with smiles of an amiable environment. The elevator goes directly from the first floor to the twenty-fourth and the interns were to go to the offices of Mitchell & Titus on the twenty-seventh floor. Mitchell & Titus is a public accounting firm under Ernst & Young.
Though the windows are scarce and one would imagine the feeling of suffocation, the cheerful faces of various employees lighten up the mood of intense work. The interns were welcomed by a supervisor and participated in an activity in which they were forced to use non-verbal communication skills to organize themselves in order by birthdays. They finished the activity fairly quickly, in about five to seven minutes, and were successful. By completing this activity the interns learned about leadership skills and communication skills as well as acknowledging the assertive vs. passive behaviors of different group members.
After the short introductory exercise, the interns met Herbert Harriot, the Human Resources Director, who was able to liven up the mood with some delicious pizza for an early lunch. After lunch they split into two teams and played Jeopardy. Some of the questions were very straightforward whereas others were specifically created to have one answer that neither team was able to come up with. The game was extremely entertaining as well as educational.
Herbert Harriot then brought in a panel of auditors and other employees of Mitchell & Titus to tell the interns about accounting and more about the firm itself. They were given the opportunity to ask questions to learn more about a typical day in the life of an auditor and how these auditors came to be interested in accounting. Most of them already took accounting classes in high school and really enjoyed it. The interns also met Fred Davis, a Senior Partner, who provided words of wisdom and his background of how he became involved with accounting. One phrase he continued to reiterate was ‘Always focus on the end.’ If one has some sort of goal or standard to reach, even if he or she does not get to that specific target, that person would still be going up somehow, in some direction, on some path, and ending somewhere.
Before exiting the marvelous building the interns were given some gifts from the firm itself: backpacks, some little trinkets and mints as well as a huge smile. All in all, it was a great day, and the interns even had a small adventure afterwards, walking around through the money-world, including the one and only Wall Street.
SCIP Interns visit the Foundation Center
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By Emilee Rosa
July 29, 2010
The interns’ visit to the Foundation Center was a step out of their usual routine. Normally, site visits consist of waking up early and heading to the sites individually. However, the Foundation Center site visit altered this monotonous routine. The interns first arrived at the SCIP offices at Madison Avenue and then, at around noon, traveled as a group to the Foundation Center in lower Manhattan.
As soon as the interns arrived at the destination, they opened their ears to what would broaden their knowledge in the college process, specifically concerning scholarships. Through a series of slides, the Foundation Center explained the facts about foundations and what they entail, specified how to articulate plans of study, how to create affiliations profiles, how to identify potential funding sources, and finally the application process.
The first slide was considered the highlight of the visit. It depicted common myths about foundations and scholarships. Most of the interns thought the majority of foundations awarded scholarships and also assumed that one has to have high academic standing to receive a scholarship. However, these “facts” were common myths. The interns’ common biased opinions were immediately disproved. Through intense discussion, the interns realized that there are many reasons to receive scholarships, from ethnic status to academic achievement.
The Foundation Center came as a wonderful surprise to the interns. The center’s presentation opened several new doors within the scholarship aspect of the college process. For the interns, the road to becoming adults is still a long and arduous one, but with site visits such as this, they are well-equipped to make such ventures. The interns will cherish the opportunity to have visited the Foundation Center.
SCIP Interns visit Ernst & Young in Secaucus
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By Sharon Villar
July 19-23, 2010
Pulling off the 320 bus from a quick twenty minute bus ride into New Jersey, the SCIP interns had arrived at the Ernst and Young headquarters. Little did the SCIP interns know that ahead of them laid a week of workshops, intense training and lessons on business etiquette and professionalism. Throughout the whole week at Ernst & Young the modern New Jersey office was for the intern’s use, from dry erase boards to glass elevators. Monday through Friday, the interns were provided with breakfast, lunch, snacks, and access to the cafes.
On the first day at Ernst & Young, the interns had presented a slideshow presenting the values of SCIP, and work that lay ahead of them in their Manhattan offices. Throughout the day, the interns utilized the space provided to them to work on their projects to bring the journal and website to life and come up with ideas to fundraise and give back to the community. Although the week had started quite slow and easy, the rest of the week was sure to be busy.
On the second day, the interns worked with Co-founder and Partner of Covenant Business Concepts, Mrs. Willie Mae Veasy on problem solving skills and how to approach situations. The interns were broken up into groups, and given various steps to decipher and analyze. The groups then presented what they believed were important about the step they were assigned and gave examples of how they could incorporate these skills in normal situations. Later on in the day, successful business owners had come in to speak to the interns on their stories on the road to success. They had given the interns words of wisdom, which had not only enlightened the young adults but had also given them insight to the business world. These business owners showed that with hard work and passion, success is at the reach of your finger tips.
The following day, interns worked on perfecting their presentation skills. Broken up into groups, the interns had to learn a new topic ranging from boating services to mentors. Later in the day, all the groups presented their topic to everyone else and tried to make them believe in the services that they were selling. Mrs. and Mrs.Veasy had given all the groups feedback on their performance, and had also made suggestions on how they could improve their presentation and their personal image. From nervous ticks to bad posture, the interns were told how to perfect everything they do in the office.
On Thursday, with a variety of business owners and Mrs.Veasy, the interns had focused on selling skills. After taking a quiz which depicted their selling styles, interns were able to see which would be the best ways to approach different clients, and what to avoid doing with various clients and consumers. Later in the afternoon, the interns had many of their questions regarding resumes and interviews answered. The interns were not only able to gain the insight of someone responsible for constantly hiring employees of Ernst & Young but they were also able to get an edge over a large majority of teenagers who haven’t had a head start at in the professional world.
On their last day at the New Jersey offices, the interns had a lesson on business etiquette and professionalism. The interns listened to Mrs.Veasy discuss examples of improper etiquette and how to avoid portraying a bad personal image alongside Amy Hubert. “The true colors of individual are shown in their worst moments.” The interns were taught the importance of remaining composed through difficult situations. Later in the day, after learning about table settings and etiquette, the students were dressed up in crowns, wigs, fancy vests and jewelry to role play various situations depicting bad table manners which had to be identified.
The week at Ernst and Young was not only fun and engaging but also inspiring for the interns. It was amazing opportunity for them to polish and perfect their image. They had a chance to meet professionals, engage with knowledgeable adults, and also ask questions pertaining to their career goals and needs. The week at Ernst & Young was a milestone in the services that SCIP could provide to young adults for training in the professional world.
SCIP Interns visit Ernst & Young in Times Square
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By Ishmam Sarwar
July 13, 2010
The visit to Ernst and Young was truly a memorable and inspiring experience for the interns. Ernst and Young is one of the largest professional services firms in the United States and is one of the Big Four auditors in the business world. Visiting Ernst and Young was a privilege that the interns enjoyed and gained experience from. There were four speakers that presented their topics as the interns sat in a conference room on the 23rd floor.
The first speaker, Rosemary Weppler, introduced the interns to Ernst and Young and introduced herself as a supplier diversity analyst for Ernst and Young. The interns were surprised at the immediate hospitality that Ernst and Young provided when she told them to help themselves to the prepared food.
The next speaker was Daniel Black, the director of recruitment for Ernst and Young in the Americas. His presentation on accounting changed the previously biased perspectives of the interns. His engaging personality and charisma shed a different light on accounting from being dull and bland to a career that one can actually enjoy. The majority of the interns agree that Daniel Black’s presentation was the highlight of the visit.
The next speaker, Stephen Jackson, brought up the do’s and dont’s of using social media. Mr. Jackson is the general manager of the RDZ media group. The RDZ media group is an expert at social media, making Mr. Jackson’s words valuable to the interns. The interns engaged in an interactive presentation where they used their cell phones to participate in real time polls. Mr. Jackson mentioned that the internet must be used with caution, that everything and anything on the internet stays there forever. He mentioned several social networking sites and advised the interns to be wary of their individual brands in the social media world. He focused on Facebook, the most commonly used social media site in the world. During his presentation, the interns asked several questions about their privacy. Mr. Jackson clearly responded by saying there is no such thing as privacy on the internet. However, Mr. Jackson did not come to simply warn the interns; he spoke about how social media sites can be used to an advantage to promote reputation and to be up to date with the corporate and media world. Nevertheless, Mr. Jackson’s presentation completely changed the interns’ view about the world of social media.
The final speaker was Willie Mae Veasy, a professional development consultant and the president and CEO of Covenant Business Concepts. Her presentation, which focused on empowerment and leadership, consisted of several engaging activities that helped and opened the eyes of the interns. The interns were split into four teams and were to critically analyze popular films to determine how the theme of empowerment is portrayed. The interns were brought into a classroom setting with white boards, as the CEO of a renowned company taught them how to become a leader and bring out their true potential. The interns engaged in a mock cocktail party, learned business etiquette and how to promote themselves in a professional manner as they walked around sipping juice cocktails in plastic wine glasses. The final activity involved designing and assembling a land rover from Lego pieces. The activity called for quick thinking and team synergy, where team members work together and complement their individual strengths and weaknesses to accomplish a difficult task. Mrs. Veasy’s presentation raised the interns’ confidence and expanded their potentials.
Overall, the visit to Ernst and Young changed the interns. It provided valuable experience and knowledge that prepared them for the corporate world.