By Erin McElwee Staff writer
It is not uncommon for Susquehanna students to have internships before graduation. What is uncommon is finding an internship experience abroad with full financial help.
That is what senior marketing and finance double major Lizzie Richart was able to do this past summer when she interned in Sydney, Australia for FTI Consulting.
Richart, from Wyncote, Pennsylvania, interned with the global advisory firm for the months of June and July.
While there, she was a part of the company’s human resources department.
Richart said that by working with the HR department, she “was able to work on various finance projects like salary banding and marketing campaigns for new benefits,” all of which relate to her two majors at Susquehanna.
Landing the internship was no small feat. Richart received the Stein Scholarship from the Sigmund Weis School of Business, which covers all expenses in an international internship program. She then connected with FTI through networking and research.
Interning in Australia, Richart was not only able to hone new skills in her future field but was also able to have a different experience of going abroad. Having been away on her Global Opportunities trip to London last fall, Richart said interning abroad is a completely different experience.
“Not only are you experiencing a new country, but you also are working there, giving you a different perspective of being abroad,” she said. “It gave me a better sense of being independent and learning the real world application of being abroad.”
Outside of her internship, experiencing the Australian culture was Richart’s favorite thing to do. “I loved getting to know the people in Australia. Everyone was incredibly nice and generous from the beginning,” she said. “I was also able to travel with other friends to the Blue Mountains and Gold Coast, which made the trip even more special.”
Living and working alone in a foreign country is something that may seem daunting to some, but for Richart it was an experience that she will never forget, and she is forever grateful to have had it.
Richart said that since coming back to Susquehanna this fall, she has seen her real-life experiences with FTI come to the forefront in the classroom, and it has changed the way she approaches learning.
“My internship has definitely enhanced my global understanding,” she said. “It has also allowed me to use skills in the classroom and connect them with the tasks I did at FTI.”