The Pension Boards introduced its Summer Internship Program (SIP) in 2019 with five interns participating in a 10-week onsite program with key departmental leaders. When the pandemic made it necessary to work from home in 2020, a shorter, hybrid internship model was developed in which four interns spent one day a week onsite and worked remotely the remainder of the time. The program has proven to be a fruitful experience—both for the interns and the Pension Boards—as well as a talent pipeline for our organization. Three of our current staff colleagues began their professional careers with us following their internship experiences.
Now, in our third year of the SIP, I am pleased to report that seven interns have been selected to begin their work with us starting Monday, June 7 for a 10-week program ending Friday, August 13. The theme for this year’s SIP is Building the Entrepreneurial Spirit: Innovation, Service and Transformation. I am pleased to introduce the 2021 interns to you:
Aidan Choi joins us this summer as Internal Audit Intern. Aidan is a senior at Baruch College’s Zicklin School of Business, with a major in Accounting and a minor in Communication. He expects to receive his Bachelor of Business Administration degree in December 2021, and is pursuing Certified Public Accountant (CPA) licensing.
Olivia Gong, a rising senior at Barnard College of Columbia University majoring in Economics and Math, with a minor in Chemistry, joins the Pension Boards as Health Plan Intern. As Treasurer of Columbia University’s Global Youth Mentorship Initiative, she established a partnership with the Global Mental Health Lab at Columbia’s Teachers College to develop relevant curricula for middle school students, as well as directing outreach to 25 elementary and middle schools to implement a course on Social Emotional Learning Techniques.
Rachel Jacobs will begin her work with the Pension Boards as Marketing and Communications Intern, working with all Faith and Finance Ministries. A rising senior at Fordham University, she is pursuing a double major in Digital Technology/Emerging Media and Spanish Language/Literature. Her previous internship experiences include Social Media and Community Manager Intern for AMF Media in New York City and Coasis Coliving, a Barcelona-based company in which she was a virtual Digital Media Intern.
Krishika Jain joins our team as Information Technology Intern. She is graduate student at Pace University’s Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems, and expects to receive her Master of Science degree in Enterprise Analytics, Computer Science at the end of 2021. She received a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Computer Science in 2016 from Thakur College of Engineering and Technology in Mumbai, India.
Madeleine Lessard is our new Investments Intern. A graduate student at Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business, she expects to receive her Master of Science degree in Global Finance in December 2021. She received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Iona College’s LaPenta School of Business in 2020.
Marco Lima, a rising senior at the University of Connecticut’s School of Business, joins the Pension Boards as Finance Intern. He is a 2020 winner of UConn’s Stock Pitch Competition, leading a five-person team in developing a five year outlook, valuation model, and analysis for a major retail corporation. Marco is founder and owner of Triple M Productions, an e-commerce business selling apparel in overseas markets.
Poojan Zalora is our new Member Services Intern. He is a student at Rutgers University’s Business School, where he is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance with an expected graduation date of May 2022. He received an Associate in Liberal Arts-Business from Middlesex County College in August 2020.