School of Accounting student interns at PricewaterhouseCoopers

From left to right: Robiel Ande, Douglas Fernandez, Barbara Gutu, John Tuy, FIU student Peter De La Rosa and Marco Kaiser. De La Rosa has completed two internships with PwC, one the world’s largest professional services network.

Entering his senior year, School of Accounting student Peter De La Rosa is already focused on his future after college. This summer, he completed his second Start internship with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). The Start program is designed to expose high-performing, diverse college students to PwC, one the world’s largest professional services network.

Interested in PwC’s assurance line of service, De La Rosa interned at the firm’s Miami office and worked closely with Lexie Bond, manager of client services, getting a sense of what the firm offers, professional and technical development, as well as what experience PwC executives seek.

With Bond in Atlanta, he also participated in the National Elevate program – designed to help students experience PwC’s culture and values through a variety of community service, team-building and networking activities; the program had more than 250 participants from across the United States.

“The idea is to introduce us to different lines of service classes so we can gain first-hand experience in all of them,” said De La Rosa, who began his internships at PwC in 2013 as a rising junior.

This summer, De La Rosa came in as a Start Master and was given more responsibility, particularly participating in a training program only open to Start Masters nationally that focuses on business writing, CPA exam prep, Excel, communicating and presentation skills.

Over the course of the six-week internship there were many assignments. One of the most challenging was a team competition designed to drive growth for both PwC and its clients. De La Rosa’s team analyzed growth potential for iRobot, creator of the Roomba vacuum system.

The project, he recalled, required the use of many tools De La Rosa had never seen before such as PwC’s research databases. He worked with four randomly selected members based in Chicago, Virginia, Boston and Tampa.

“We explored what is happening now [in technology and shifting economic power] and how that will develop into the future to help clients prepare for what’s coming down the pipeline,” De La Rosa said. “There was also a great opportunity for PwC to grow with iRobot, getting a foot in the door with a robotics company that PwC may not have as much expertise with as other sectors.”

During the live presentation before PwC executives in New York, each intern was responsible for a two- to three-minute segment of the 10 minute exhibition. Despite some glitches, they won first place.

“I think I speak for the entire group when I say the entire experience blew away our expectations and we do feel fortunate that we were able to participate in it,” he said. “The feedback really resonated with the group and will definitely make us better going forward.”

The assignments were not simple, De La Rosa noted, but the lessons learned are invaluable.

“The most valuable was the exposure to the different lines of service at PwC – Assurance, Risk Assurance, State and Local Tax, International Tax and Transfer Pricing,” he added. “I got a glimpse of what is actually expected – everything from something as simple as how you should dress to as complex as dealing with real life situations that the firm is being hired for.”

In May, De La Rosa will receive his undergraduate degree and will venture into his third internship at PwC. After that, he plans on returning to the School of Accounting for a master’s.

“The experience will help my studies by being a huge motivational boost,” De La Rosa said. “I feel that the hard work and effort that I put into my studies is heavily recognized by a firm such as PwC. I know I just need to continue working hard and it will be rewarded.”

In his first year or two at the College of Business, De La Rosa  recalls feeling lost in regards to the recruitment process. As he returns to FIU, he wants to informally work as an adviser to students whom may feel the same.

“I can help connect School of Accounting students with recruiters and answer their questions about internships and programs available,” De La Rosa said. “I can help them identify what to focus on, what the firms offer, and encourage the students to participate.”

– Cynthia Corzo