Throughout the summer, Colgate Athletics Communications will be spotlighting student-athletes who are bridging the gap between the classroom and the professional world through impactful internships and work-study opportunities.

Background

• Name, Sport: Caroline Brown '29, Women’s Tennis
• Major, Minor: Math & Economy major, Psychology minor
• Company Name: AMEND Consulting
• Job/Intern Title: Internal Delivery Analyst
• Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
   

Experience

 How did you find out about this internship, and what made you apply?

• I knew about the company through a tennis mentor who played tennis at Georgetown and worked as an analyst here at the same firm I'm at now, maybe three or four years ago. I knew she had worked here, and I was also looking at companies in Cincinnati because I wanted to be home and wasn't quite ready to live on my own yet. I found the company on my own, but knowing that she had worked here definitely reinforced my interest. Then I applied, and here I am today.

What does your company do, and what are your main responsibilities?  

• The company is a smaller, boutique consulting firm. They specialize in consulting areas such as FP&A, operations excellence, AI, and business intelligence. My specific role is an internal one, so I'm not client-facing or part of the consulting team. Instead, my role primarily focuses on revenue management and project quality control.
• On the revenue side, I work on forecasting, updating revenue projections, and making sure all projects are up to date. I also track opportunities, such as potential sales, to ensure they're accounted for so our forecasts are as accurate as possible. On the quality side, I monitor project quality and project margins. Those are the two main areas of my role.

Walk us through a typical day on the job. What does a “win” look like for you in this role? 

• A typical day varies, but twice a week we have 7:00 a.m. analyst training sessions. The company does a really good job through its analyst program of developing talent, and many of the full-time employees have gone through the analyst rotation at some point. The training covers a wide range of topics, from AI and financial statements to SQL and coding, since the company offers services across many different practice areas. I also meet with my direct supervisor almost every day. We have biweekly revenue calls to review the revenue forecast, and I meet weekly with delivery leaders and project leaders to make sure all of their projects are up to date in Salesforce, which we use to manage sales opportunities. That includes making sure future opportunities, whether they're project extensions or new client engagements, are entered so our forecasting remains accurate. A lot of my work also involves recurring weekly tasks. We use a quality system called Project Pulses, where projects are evaluated in several categories, such as scope, client satisfaction, budget, and timeline, and I analyze that information to identify potential quality issues. When projects are ending and there's a gap in revenue, I pull and analyze that data as well. In addition, I'm currently working on a few business intelligence dashboards, writing DAX formulas to improve the Project Pulses reporting and other quality metrics. I'm also preparing for our next quality meeting by putting together a presentation on the projects that fell below their target margins last month, along with a deeper summary of the trends and the underlying reasons why those margins were lower than expected. That's been the main focus of my work recently.

Student-Athlete Connection

What skills from your sport have been most useful in the workplace? 

• I think grit is probably the biggest quality I've taken from tennis. It's the mindset of continuing to problem-solve until you hit a brick wall, while also knowing when it's time to ask for help. You don't want to be bothering your boss a million times a day, but it's important to recognize when you've reached the point where you need guidance. It's also about being willing to accept help and feedback, whether that's from a coach in tennis or from your manager in the workplace. I think asking for help is a huge skill, and it's something that's really encouraged at the company where I work. We're actually expected to schedule two coffee chats each week with employees across the company, which creates opportunities to ask questions, learn from others, and continue developing. I think that willingness to learn, combined with the grit mindset I developed through tennis, has been one of the biggest factors in helping me grow professionally.

How are you managing your summer training/workout schedule while working your internship hours? 

• I am currently recovering from back issues, so that has made my schedule a little easier since I’m not able to be on the court as much. I’m still trying to get on the court a few times a week, but I’m definitely limiting my time. I haven’t hit for more than an hour and a half in months, which is crazy, and I haven’t played a full match yet. I’m just trying to stay active and gradually work my way back while being disciplined with my recovery.

How has your coursework here prepared you for the challenges of this internship? 

• Coming from a liberal arts school, everyone else here is from a business school, so I’m the only liberal arts student. I wouldn’t say that puts me at a disadvantage, but I am still learning some of the business fundamentals. For example, I knew what the three financial statements were, but I didn’t have much experience with them coming in. I’ve treated this experience almost like my own mini business school, and being a sponge and learning from everyone around me has been extremely valuable. I also think the range of classes you take at Colgate, along with the problem-solving and critical-thinking skills you develop, translates well into any type of work. It’s not just about taking an accounting or business class; it’s about developing a mindset for approaching challenges. The company has done a great job teaching me the business-specific skills I need to know, so I haven’t felt behind. I think the biggest thing Colgate has given me is that problem-solving mindset, and that has helped me the most in this role.

Reflections and Looking Ahead

 What has been the most exciting project or favorite memory of your internship so far?

• I was thrown in right away, in the best way possible. There wasn’t really a long buildup of gradually increasing responsibilities; it was more like, “Here you go.” They trusted me to get things done from the start, which allowed me to immediately take on projects like updating the Project Pulses calculations and working on Power BI dashboards. I think the coolest part of my role as an analyst on internal delivery is that I get to be involved in quality meetings that many analysts on the external side don’t have access to because they involve more confidential information. One of the most exciting opportunities has been being able to present my work next month to senior leaders and executives across the company. Looking ahead, I want to continue working on projects like these, keep pushing myself, and find proactive ways to add value and help the company.

How has this experience shaped your career goals?

• Going into my sophomore year, especially during my freshman year, I felt like any experience was a good experience and an opportunity to figure out what I wanted to pursue. Consulting was definitely at the top of my list for a while, and I knew I wanted something in quantitative business. Being at a consulting firm, even though I’m on the internal side, has really opened my eyes to the possibilities within the consulting world. I think it has helped narrow my focus and made me take consulting more seriously as something I would like to pursue in the future.

What advice would you give to your teammates who are starting to look for internships?

• You don’t really have to narrow down exactly what you want to do right away. I think that, until the summer before your senior year internship, when you’re looking for a return offer and thinking about working full time, any experience is valuable. Just having something on your resume shows that you’re a trustworthy employee and gives you a foundation to build from. I think even having one solid experience under your belt can open so many doors. It doesn’t matter if you end up learning that you don’t like something, because that’s still valuable information. You’ve learned what isn’t the right fit for you, and I think any experience is a good experience when you’re early in your career.