Summer Internship: A Day in the Life of Victor Penera

Though traditional summer internships may have changed, here’s how one San Diego State University student found a chance to gain some professional experience from home.

Hi! My name is Victor Penera and I am heading into my senior year at San Diego State University. My major is business administration with an emphasis in finance. This summer, I’m an intern with Merrill Lynch Wealth Management.

Merrill Lynch Wealth Management is an investing and wealth management division of Bank of America that specializes in goal-based wealth management, including planning for retirement, education, legacy, and other life goals through investment advice and guidance. 

I discovered this internship through a notification on SDSU’s Blackboard  in  fall  2019. As someone with a passion to increase financial literacy in low-income communities, Merrill Lynch’s motto of merging Wall Street with Main Street is what truly piqued my interest. 

Being in a virtual environment has definitely presented its challenges, but I am grateful to have an opportunity to learn from some of the best executives and financial advisers the industry has to offer. 

Here is a day in the life of my virtual internship:

5:30 a.m. My alarm goes off at 5:30 a.m., but I don’t get out of bed until 6 a.m. I start my day by making a cup of coffee and going over emails from the day before. You may be wondering why I am up so early, well, one of the downsides of being in California is that learning sessions are all on Eastern time.

6 a.m. Some days we  have guest speakers address our intern class, and other days we  have training sessions that cover a wide array of financial topics. After our training sessions I usually review my notes, work on projects, or get started on assignments that I have due later  in the week. 

7 a.m. I have weekly meetings with the San Diego Merrill Lynch team and we cover a broad range of topics depending on the agenda. In this meeting we have seasoned financial advisers give us advice on what it takes to be successful in this industry. I have found these weekly meetings to be extremely insightful as they have been great ways for me to learn if this is a career I want to pursue. 

10 a.m. This is when I usually take my first break of the day. It gives me time to stretch and relax. One of the most important aspects that I have learned of being in a virtual internship is prioritizing self-care. It is very easy to catch yourself working on a project for one minute, and then realizing you haven’t left your room all day. Whether it’s going for a quick walk or sitting outside for a few minutes, it’s important to take care of your mental health. 

11 a.m. At 11 a.m. we have our national development program call with interns from all over the world. These calls are great ways for us to interact with each other and ask our program coordinators questions. These meetings are where we get debriefed and are given any updates for the week ahead. 

12 p.m. Project time! One of my favorite aspects of the internship. We are assigned cohorts  of interns from all over the country. All interns come from a different division of the bank, and this has proven to be extremely beneficial as we  approach these projects with different perspectives and ideas. Not being able to interact with others in a personal setting has been challenging, especially when it comes to working with a group, but this has highlighted the importance of effective communication. 

1 p.m. We have our second national call of the day with the Financial Advisor Development Program. I have found these calls to be very helpful as we are able to learn directly from employees close to our age who have been in our shoes before. These calls are meant for us to see what it takes to be successful in this program. 

1:30 p.m. I meet with my mentor and program manager every week and we go over some of the tasks I have completed, along with projects I have coming up. These meetings allow me to ask more detailed questions about the process of working with clients. My biggest takeaway from this experience so far has been understanding the importance of being prepared and coming to work with a smile every day. 

2 p.m. I use this last hour of the day to finish any projects I have been working on, and to prepare for the next day.

Working for such an established firm has shown me the importance of working with a team to give clients the support they need. Although this wasn’t what any of us had anticipated, this shows how vital it is to adapt to new situations. I have learned that we probably will never return to back to “normal” and that’s OK. Bank of America Merrill Lynch continues to be one of the top financial institutions in the world because of its ability to progress, adapt with the current environment, and grow responsibly. I am forever grateful to have been given this opportunity to learn and grow with this company.