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POSITION: Tax Intern
EDUCATION: BS, Accounting,
Louisiana State University,
2009
IF I COULD LIVE IN ANY
HISTORICAL TIME, IT EIDI GILES' roommate was
WOULD BE: the Elizabethan
era-I love British history 1 an accounting major-she
and Queen Elizabeth is my wasn't. But when her
favorite! roommate dragged her to an
XTREME accounting competition
meeting, she agreed to be a part of the team despite her lack
of experience. It took a lot of hard work, but Giles' team was
chosen as one of the top teams in the U.S., and PwC invited her
and her teammates to New York to learn about the industry and
the firm. A few months later, Giles happily accepted her first
internship-and switched her major to accounting.
This was your first experience in accounting-did it meet your
expectations? It surpassed them. I haven't taken a tax course
yet, but I learned so much that I'll be more confident when I take
the class this fall. I also built such great relationships with my
coworkers-I didn't want to leave!
So what was the first day like? I wasn't all that nervous, because
I'd met all the other interns during training. But it was the first
day of my accounting internship, so that was a bit nerve-racking.
And my coaches took us to a really nice restaurant, and I'm
pretty sure I spilled something on myself!
What surprised you most when
you first started? The partners
just come and say hello to
everyone like it's no big deal
that they're partners and you're
not. There's no emphasis on the
hierarchy, day-to-day. Everyone
treats you with respect, regardless of your level.
What did a typical day look like? I'd come in, sit at my desk,
and check my email before I started working on projects for
the Private Company Services group. My manager gave me
assignments so that I could learn, and an associate or senior
associate was always there coaching me. I worked with clients'
income statements and balance sheets, including adjustments
and journal entries. The associates, senior associates, and
managers worked with me the whole time and I sat in on
discussions with the client.
What are you most proud of this summer? I'm proud of how
I got to know the people here. I didn't just make business
relationships-we all became good friends, and I miss everyone
I worked with a lot!
Looking back on the experience, what was the best part of the
internship? Accounting is a challenging field-which I love-
and I've found there's always a lot to learn and I'm looking
forward to my classes this fall. I had thought I was going to
work in public relations or marketing when I graduated, but I'm
glad I switched my major. I still can't believe PwC chose me for
an internship-but I'm so happy they did!
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