When I first started as an Intern at Ellery Partners, I was hoping to develop a keen understanding of finance, private equity and M&A. Now that I am at the halfway point, I can say that every single one of my expectations for the summer have been surpassed. If I was asked to describe my experience in three words, I would choose the words authentic, stimulating and rewarding.
Authentic – My favorite part of each morning is the scrum meeting that kicks off our day. The relationships that I have created during these meetings are authentic to say the least. Each member of my team takes an interest in my personal life and frequently asks me questions about my summer. The team dynamic that we have formed has directly impacted our success over the last few weeks. These meetings have taught me that Ellery is special because of the people that bring its mission to life.
Stimulating – The most engrossing aspect of my summer has been the “weekly finance talks with Orlando.” During these sessions, the interns explore fundamental finance topics such as capital structure, value creation levers, value creation through M&A, net working capital & capex, accounting principles and modeling. Each week Orlando introduces us to a plethora of finance terms and challenges us to conceptualize advanced subject matter. Understanding real life applications to the topics that we discuss has been a mentally stimulating experience and has reaffirmed my passion for pursuing a career in finance.
Rewarding – Recently, we began a research project that allowed for each intern to explore the community association management (CAM) industry in a specific metropolitan statistical area (MSA). My task was to become an expert on the CAM industry in the Tampa-St. Petersburg MSA through interviews with various industry professionals. Each of my conversations produced a twofold result. I not only developed an in-depth understanding of the CAM industry, but I had the ability to practice the skill of networking. These calls have taught me how to carry a conversation and how to pay attention to small details. I am glad to say that my project has been a rewarding experience and has allowed me to develop a skill that will be beneficial to me for years to come.
With the wisdom that I have accrued over the last few weeks, I would like to say that I am truly grateful to be a part of the journey at Ellery Partners. I have experienced a great deal of personal growth and have built extraordinary relationships with my teammates. Jalen and Orlando have taught me more about the world of private equity, banking and finance than I could have ever imagined. I look forward to making the most of the weeks ahead as we begin to dive into the world of valuation and diligence.
P.S. – We often give shoutouts at our weekly recap to team members who helped, assisted or made an impact on us that week. I will end this reflection with a shoutout to Jalen and Orlando for this wonderful opportunity and a shoutout to my teammates Barret, Ugo, and Daniel for shaping my experience.