Internship Leads to Continuing Job Opportunities

“The beauty of immersing yourself in an internship is that it not only makes your classes easier, but your classes make your internship easier,” said Stephanie Reichert ’14 of Sioux City, Iowa, an accounting and music major who has been interning for the second summer in the accounting department at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., Itasca, Illinois.

Trinity requires every student to participate in an internship or field education. Although only one internship is required for Reichert’s major, Gallagher invited her back for a second internship, based on her excellent performance last summer. She also served in a part-time role during the academic year.

Without her Trinity education, Reichert said she would not have been prepared for this continuing opportunity to the extent she has been. “Despite the intense challenge of Dr. Lynn White’s class, it is that much better when you succeed, because you know you understand that information backwards and forward.”

Reichert’s main responsibility this summer has been analyzing financial data to ensure it complies with accounting regulations and the company’s policies. “It’s nice to know that as I’m auditing, I’m helping the company,” she said.

Working at Gallagher brings classroom knowledge to life—the work is no longer textbook examples. “It’s real money, real transactions, real things happening, and real work,” Reichert said. “I kind of had this mentality that I knew all there was to know about these subjects, but I learned so much.”

Reichert plans to continue working part-time at Gallagher this fall, and she graduates from Trinity in December with superior experience to add to her resume and valuable connections as she pursues a career path.

“I am not worrying about December,” she said. “The Bible passage keeps coming up, ‘Do not worry about tomorrow.’ God keeps pushing me not to worry. I have amazing paths to follow, but God continues to surprise me.”

While she would love to stay in the Chicago area, Reichert said she realizes that God might have different plans. “Wherever God leads me, I will go.”