Gabelli School of Business students share their internship experience. Photos by Kelly Prinz
For most of us, the world of taxes is just too complex to master. But accounting and finance students at Fordham’s Gabelli School of Business are leaning into the challenge with pleasure—and landing high-impact internships everywhere from Big Four accounting firms to media giants like Paramount.
See why these students say taxes just might be key to their future careers.
From IRS Volunteers to a Career Path
Brooke Bastian
Major: Finance
Internship: Paramount
Brooke Bastian, outside of Paramount's NYC headquarters in Times Square
Why Tax: “I always thought it was really interesting how everyone was so afraid of taxes,” Bastian says with a laugh. “We all got to pay, so I’m like, ‘What’s going on?’”
The Internship: At Paramount, Bastian has worked on tax filings and compliance-related items for the global entertainment company’s studios and distribution group.
How She Got the Internship: Bastian credits the Gabelli School’s Personal and Professional Development Center for supporting her through the interview process. But her microeconomics professor really set her on a career path. He suggested she check out the IRS’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, which helps low-income residents file their taxes for free. “I think that is what spurred me into feeling comfortable with doing tax, and that’s what led me to the internship, for sure, because I felt like my resume was pretty strong towards tax.”
Lilliana Strait
Major: Applied Accounting and Finance
Internship: Bridgewater Advisors
Lilliana Strait near her office in Rockefeller Center
Why Tax: “It’s like taking a messy room and cleaning it and then it’s all sparkling,” Strait says about her work with Bridgewater Advisors’ clients. “I like it when I open a client folder and there’s a long list of documents for me to organize, because I like something that’s challenging and complex, and by the time I’m done, I feel good about it.”
How She Got the Internship: Strait volunteered with the VITA program like Bastian and it gave her the foundation to land her current internship. “I just began learning, like what is the difference between a credit and a deduction? What even is a dependent? What is a W-2? I got the very basics from that, and it kind of set me up to then do something more complicated, like what I’m doing at Bridgewater.”
Going Beyond Tax at a Big Four Accounting Firm
Owen Dunphy
Major: Finance
Internship: PwC
Owen Dunphy outside of PwC's NYC headquarters on Madison Avenue
The Internship: While PwC is known for its tax and audit services, Dunphy interned in the firm’s debt and equity valuations area. “Working in valuations is kind of like a puzzle to me. And I think that’s the fun of it, being able to find answers—there’s not really a set path as an intern, there’s a bunch of different data and a bunch of different projects that you get. I wasn’t pigeonholed. I was learning something new every day.”
Turning a Connection into a Career
Alexandra Mowbray
Major: Public Accounting
Internships: CBIZ, Ariva
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Photo courtesy of Alexandra Mowbray
How She Got the Internship: Mowbray landed an internship at CBIZ—and earned a full-time job offer before graduation—after introducing herself to a company representative at an event hosted by Fordham's Beta Alpha Psi student group. “When massive companies are hiring students, they get thousands of applications, whereas when I wanted to work at CBIZ, I went up to the woman and said, ‘Can I get your contact information?’ I just surpassed so many steps by being able to have a conversation and see them face-to-face.”
Why Tax: “When you’re in accounting, it’s very much tax or audit. I like tax because you’re seeing the money. When you do someone’s tax returns, or when you see how companies are structured, you see how it affects a company monetarily, and you see how different methods and structures can either save people money or [cause them to owe] more money to the government.”
Gaining On-the-Job Experience
Erda Peqini
Major: Applied Accounting and Finance
Internship: ME Accounting Services, Tax
The Internship: The family-owned ME Accounting Services does “a lot of tax prep and income and payrolls,” Peqini says, “so they just taught me everything. I do really love my bosses. They’re always willing to answer questions, always willing to help you out, and always giving you advice. It became like working with a family to me.”
Why Tax: “It’s more complex than you think—you follow a specific set of rules, and everything is always [being updated], so you’re just making sure your clients are compliant, and I just found it very interesting.”