Reflecting on the 2024 Summer Interns
Mary Stange – Client Advisor
We asked our Summer Interns, Remy Finn, Caroline Gramm, Keaton Rodgers, and Grant Kissell to share a little about their 2 months with SJFS this year. Tying in their Working Geniuses, here are some of their insights.
“In my work, I have craved wanting to lighten the burden of my teammates, so that they can more effectively serve their clients, who can in turn more effectively serve their students. I always try to connect the monotony of my tasks with the higher purpose of SJFS. Therefore, I try to do even the smallest tasks with great love. I see this in my working genius of enablement- craving to help make a difference. I’ve also seen my working genius of wonder in my attention to detail and making sure that nothing is overlooked.” Caroline Gramm, Careful Implementer.
“My Working Genius has enabled me to better collaborate with others in understanding how they may perceive my comments and ideas, and to frame these ideas in a more personalized way.” Remy Finn, Evangelizing Innovator.
“My Working Genius has actually been quite insightful, both in my working life and in my personal life. It answered questions I didn’t know I even had about myself and helped to explain behaviors I thought were just universal. With SJFS, this meant understanding how I could best operate with my team by playing into my strengths and allowing others to exercise their own. I’ve enjoyed working with Jacquelyn, and I remember seeing during our training that she and I have pretty different Working Geniuses. I believe knowing this allowed me to more efficiently take on my tasks and build a working relationship with her. “ Grant Kissell, Careful Implementer.
Project Power
Vendor Relations Project; Caroline Gramm
Caroline was asked to systematically gather active vendors for the clients of the Big Shoulders Fund who granted permission, in order to reach out to them to expedite the bill process. Vendors were enabled to send their invoices directly to the affiliated Bill.com inbox for speedier entry and approval. Though, Caroline’s favorite project was, “reclassifying parent accounts into sub-accounts because it made me feel like a detective. Spending hours gathering information through comparing transactions and reading invoices on Bill.com made me understand the importance of accurately representing financial statements in showing the position of an organization.”
Month End and Year End Close Processes
Something to draw attention to, is that by serving an accounting firm in the summer, interns get a front row seat to Month End and Fiscal Year End Close. The processes around a year end close take what students are learning in their accounting classes and turn toward practical application. It is the boots on the ground experience that can be invaluable when thinking toward your future career.
For us at SJFS, we truly appreciate the extra help around year end close. Our interns help magnify our ability to finish projects even while we are deeply diving into financials and variance analysis. “I’ve been helping out Brittany and Adan with the Stewardship Workbooks for a few different schools and making sure all of the tuition accounts are accurate for each student.” says Remy Finn.
Report Management
“A project I’ve been involved with is creating and managing reports for Cristo Rey in Sage Intacct. Jacquelyn had mentioned that she often found herself running short on time for these tasks in addition to the fact that they are not her most favorite thing in the world, so I was more than willing to jump in and help out. I would go so far as to say that I actually enjoyed doing these tasks, as they appealed to my brain in a way that was challenging and engaging. Being able to pinpoint specific discrepancies in the reports and then diving in, finding them, and reporting them to Jacquelyn was really satisfying for me, not to mention it was nice knowing I was saving Jacquelyn some time.” says Grant Kissell.
Culture in a Remote Environment
“The culture at SJFS is perfect. I can see in my coworkers a passion to serve as Christ served, meaning that they are intrinsically rather than extrinsically motivated. The people I work with share my values and I look forward to interacting with them every day, whether it be in the office, through Google meet, or through the chat. I feel so connected with my team, even though I haven’t met most of them in person. This made me realize how blessed I am to live in a time and place where vibrant communities can exist even when physical contact isn’t possible.” says Caroline Gramm.
“It was a little different working at SJFS where so many employees are remote. The whole system took some getting used to, and I had to grow comfortable sending people messages/calls as opposed to communicating in person. Now that I have been doing it for several weeks, however, I kind of embrace it. Of course, I still like (and prefer) seeing my coworkers in person, but I’ve seen that being remote does not mean that one cannot partake in a company culture. Getting to know Jacquelyn, Will, and others over the Internet has shown that it is in fact possible to form meaningful relationships while not physically present. I’ve enjoyed facing the challenges of remote work and have seen the good that can come from it.” says Grant Kissell.
“I’ve greatly appreciated the culture of connection which is evident in all the group activities and chats that the SJFS workforce takes part in. My mentor, Brittany, works from California, and I’ve been struck by her flexibility and strong communication as we work with each other through a three hour time difference!” says Remy Finn.
Our 2024 summer interns had the pleasure of participating in the SJFS June Cohort Onboarding. This on-site training gave the interns a chance to meet other members of SJFS that do not work in South Bend. They also benefit from performing their internship in South Bend with our home office. There is definitely something to say about the in-person work done in our home office and the culture that begins there. This culture stretches outward through the remote environment where the staff of SJFS connect.
Interns are given an inside look into the mission of St. Joseph Financial Services through volunteering to serve our clients. Interns joined our team members performing an outreach at the Mission of Our Lady of the Angels block party in Chicago in conjunction with the National Eucharistic Congress pilgrimage.
Take it Forward
Caroline Gramm says, “I will take with me the drive to work quickly and excellently. I’ve learned that work is something I crave more than going to class, and that my purpose as a student is to gain the ability to serve others through my work.”
Grant Kissell says, “Something I’ll take forward at the end of the internship is the flexibility that is required of not only working in an office environment, but also with other employees across the country. People will often have stuff come up or will be operating in a different time zone. In order to foster a healthy and efficient work environment, one has to possess a degree of flexibility. I prioritized approaching every interaction and meeting with patience, knowing that I was working with people, not machines. Going forward, I plan on continuing this mindset, both professionally and beyond. I think giving people the benefit of the doubt and “rolling with the punches” is a Christian mindset that is crucial for leading a holy life. I think SJFS fills a very important space in the wider accounting/financial services industry, and the mission of the firm is something I really admire.”
Remy Finn says, “Being part of such a cohesive work environment has inspired me to carry this culture of faith and diligence with me into any other work place I may be part of.”