Students Working with the GCMC: Securing First Business Internship

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I remember when I was at the new graduate student orientation back in August 2019, Fred Burke, the Director of GCMC, came on stage and said: “Make sure you save GCMC’s contact on speed dial and make them your best friends, because you will need it to navigate through business school!” Even though I did not save GCMC on speed dial in my phone, the latter was true - they have become one of the highlights of my time at Zicklin. Looking back as I enter the halfway point of my last semester here at Baruch, I would not be where I am now without GCMC.

As someone whose background is not in business (I hold a B.S. in Physics), I thought I would have a hard time adjusting to all the business “lingo” and finding job opportunities. So when I got called back for an opportunity to interview with an accounting firm for an IT audit intern role, I was surprised and ecstatic! I remember immediately setting up an appointment with GCMC, and I was able to conduct several mock interviews with Jack Pullara, one of the advisors who also came from a risk assurance background. With the help from Jack and GCMC, I was able to secure my first internship in the business world! Who knew someone like me who has never taken a business course would get to this point! To all the career changers out there, if I could do it, anyone can, and I want to thank Jack and GCMC for the help and support!

Last summer, with COVID-19 happening, I dedicated the time off to exploring myself. I came across an Instagram post from GCMC advertising an opportunity to do an MBTI personality assessment that was paid for by GCMC. I signed-up, and after completing the assessment, went through the results with Lindsey Plewa, the Associate Director of GCMC. Lindsey had the results hidden from me, so I did not know my results until my appointment with her. Our session was a lot of fun for me to guess my letters! It was very interesting that I was able to guess some of my letters correctly, but even more exciting to hear from Lindsey what each of my letters meant. Thank you Lindsey and GCMC, for putting color into this ENTJ’s life!

These are just some of the highlights of my time with GCMC. I have also attended many information sessions of different companies and had lots of fun learning and networking with the guest speakers. Thank you GCMC for enriching my graduate school career, and helping me become who I am today! To heed Fred’s advice, be sure to make GCMC your best friend!


Connect with Christopher:

LinkedIn: Christopher Chong

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The GCMC offers Zicklin graduate students and alumni a suite of services that includes individualized career advisement and assessment, as well as strategic workshops and training to assist graduate students and alumni in building a career through personal branding, effective communication, and successful networking techniques. 

Our services span many areas including:

  •     One-on-One Advising
  •     Drop-In Advisement Sessions
  •     Self-Assessment Tools
  •     Mock Interviews
  •     On-Campus Recruiting
  •     Job Search Groups
  •     Social Media Channels


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