Kaori Tsuji | The Internship of a Lifetime
About Kaori
Kaori is a senior at Chapman University, double majoring in Accounting and Business Administration with an emphasis in Finance. She has been an active member of Alpha Kappa Psi for one and a half years, and has previously served as Academic Chair for the chapter. In her spare time, Kaori enjoys travelling and going to the beach.
"I was always surrounded by individuals who were extremely knowledgeable and motivated, which inspired me to work harder and to challenge myself in order to get to where they are."
– Kaori Tsuji
The Internship of a Lifetime
In the summer of 2017, Kaori interned at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) as an assurance intern in San Francisco. She had been attached to the Private Company Services group, and specialized in providing assurance services to private companies. Kaori described how at PwC, interns were treated similar to a first year associate, where they were assigned to clients and had to work on various audit procedures with the engagement team. On top of that, they were given further growth opportunities unique to each role. Through this, Kaori was able to take part in a business trip to Houston in order to cater to the needs of a client. However, interning at PwC was not all work and no play. The company placed an importance on being able to have fun, and the conclusion of Kaori’s internship included a trip to Disney World.
Through this experience, Kaori grew significantly both professionally and as an individual. She gained valuable insight through getting a glimpse of what the role of an associate at a public accounting firm entailed, and how she would be able to progress in the career. In addition, being surrounded by individuals who were both well-versed and highly motivated in the field inspired her to constantly challenge herself.
Kaori believes that the opportunity to intern at a firm where your colleagues want you to learn and expand your network is hard to come by. Through her internship, Kaori was able learn more about the firm and its culture, as well as an idea of what it would be like pursuing a career in public accounting. However, it was the friendly and welcoming environment as well as the relationships she forged that made her ultimately want to work for the firm.
Words of wisdom from Kaori:
"A lot of students think that accounting firms only hire accounting majors, but they also offer internship/full time positions for non-accounting positions like risk assurance, which focuses more on IT and positions in HR or recruiting. Also, different officers offer different positions, so if a position you're interested in isn't offered at one location, it might be a good idea to have a look at other locations. If you are interested, make sure to check out their website here, and let me know if you have any questions!"