In the summer of 2018, I interned at BBH in the AML Compliance department in the New York City office. Having been a psychology and sociology double major at Smith College, I came in with the dreaded feeling of “imposter syndrome.” I had no previous experience in the finance industry and knew that the summer going into my senior year would be the best opportunity to delve into a foreign industry before I jumped into the real world.

For three months, I learned what it took to combat anti-money laundering at a financial institution. I learned (or at least, tried to learn) all the acronyms that BBH uses and felt a sense of accomplishment when I started using the acronyms myself. I also learned that BBH cultivates a sense of community that I grew to love immediately. From the friendly side conversations held standing in line at the café, to the banter held with coworkers and fellow interns, I knew there was something special.

Onboarding in a Virtual Environment

The community is exactly what led me back to BBH two years later, after working for another commercial bank. I am now seated at the Jersey City office in the Mutual Funds department and although I onboarded virtually in December 2020, I still feel the sense of connection that I craved from my internship. While different from the traditional meetup, I am still able to network with both my former peers and those I hadn’t met before over Zoom coffee.