Students on the Blog: Alex Penn
We recently sat down with Alex to talk about his internship, his experience at Baruch and what advice he has for new students coming to Zicklin pursuing their graduate business degree.
Q: Alex, thank you so much for taking the time to meet with us. We’d love to dive right into your summer and what your responsibilities were at the BBB?
Alex Penn (AP): It’s really great to get the opportunity to have this discussion, thank you. At the BBB, I worked as a financial charity analyst. In my work, I examined the financial statements, tax filings and solicitation materials of several New York City charities. I would then prepare compliance reports that are publically available on the BBB’s website, used to increase trust been the charity and their donors.
Q: Your work was really involved in the day-to-day business of the organization. From your experience at the BBB, what were some major take-aways?
AP: To be successful you have to be proactive, hold yourself accountable for your work and ask lots of questions. It is always better to prevent a mistake upfront than to have to fix it later. Keeping this in mind and taking accountability for my work allowed me to speed up my learning process, and ultimately gave me more confidence to be comfortable doing the work I was hired to do – and that was to review charities.
Q: So reflecting on all of that, what did you like best about the BBB opportunity?
AP: In any organization, it’s important for people to be able to learn and adapt quickly. I consider myself a very coachable person, and what I liked best at the BBB was their training. Our team quickly and successfully worked together to understand the criteria used in the charity evaluation process, broken down by the organization’s 20 standards for charity accountability. That training was key to making the internal working relationships effective for the team and ultimately for the business.
Q: Do you think your experience at the BBB will help your career?
AP: Absolutely. The experience taught me how to evaluate a charity’s overall health from a governance, financial, measuring and effectiveness, and fundraising perspective. These skills are easily convertible to an investment perspective when evaluating companies and financing opportunities.
Q: That’s a terrific real-world comparison. Stepping back a bit, we are curious about what motivated you to pursue an MBA in the first place.
AP: I chose to pursue an MBA because business and economics have always been a personal passion. Even while working as an engineer, I found myself staying up to date with financial markets, news and industry trends. Baruch helped build a bridge between my engineering background and passion for finance.
Q: Have you had the opportunity to be active on campus since starting your degree?
AP: Yes, I currently serve as the Treasurer of Baruch’s Sustainable Business Club. We organize events, promotions and panels that create a positive social, environmental and economic impact on business and the world around us. Baruch’s education has given me the opportunity to reinvest what I’ve learned in the classroom to better serve our community.
Q: Every semester, there is a new class of students that starts their MBA studies. Reflecting on your experience, what advice do you have for first year MBA students to be successful?
AP: For me, you must have the energy and determination to learn more than is required. It’s important to choose courses that you are interested in and to put your attention-to-detail skills to work. First year students should also take advantage of the many resources and networking opportunities that Baruch has to offer, such as student run clubs, the Graduate Career Management Center and social networking events. The most successful students get out as much as they put in.
Q: That’s phenomenal advice, Alex. Looking ahead to May, what are your plans not only for when you graduate but also in the future?
AP: After graduating in May 2013, I hope to be in a position where I am leveraging my engineering and finance degrees. Baruch has provided excellent coursework in financial modeling, venture capital, asset management and behavioral finance to help me prepare for future challenges. I’m looking forward to a future combining this all.
Alexei Penn
MBA ’13, Finance and Investment
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