As an Economics major with a keen eye for business and marketing, this internship was the perfect role for me. My passion for finance and all things related to money, banking and Fintech has only furthered through this experience. I plan on exploring these interests even more by holding roles such as 鈥榁ice President of Finance鈥� at Designer鈥檚 Hub and by improving and displaying my leadership skills by being the President of the Indian Students鈥� Association here at 捆绑SM社区.
The company I am currently interning at is called WALO and it is a start-up in the FinTech industry. I came across WALO on LinkedIn and was immediately drawn to their mission and vision. The goal of financially educating the younger generation is something that greatly resonates with me as I am someone who had an upbringing centered about financial responsibility. Because of my interest in the FinTech industry and the fact that this was a Montreal based start-up that aimed to pass on these valuable life lessons to kids, I knew this was the right environment for me. Start-ups also allow for so much flexibility and room for growth which is why I was really keen on taking this position. I wanted to learn how an emerging company in such a competitive industry manages itself, what its financials look like, how they amplify their brand image, etc.
WALO is a company that is pioneering in the FinTech field by striving to financially educate the youth. Their mission is to enhance the financial health of future generations through hands-on financial education for kids. WALO is filling the gap by teaching teens one of the most valuable and needed life-skills: financial responsibility. The WALO app connects to the bank accounts of parents and their tweens/teens and teaches young people how to manage their personal finances and adopt good spending and saving habits. Currently, the app is in open beta and we are looking to release the public app in late August 2020, with additional premium features. Children will also have the option to access a debit card for spending online and in stores.
As a marketing analyst intern, I assisted in and wrote content for marketing projects such as blogging, customer stories, social media content, etc. I regularly maintained social media channels, the website content and assisted in day-to-day operations. Furthermore, I identified new opportunities for social media content, supported with content creation and ensured all marketing tasks had been completed. Increasing WALO's outreach and connecting with individuals who can help amplify their presence in the Financial Services and FinTech industry was also one of the main roles I had. Although my official title was 鈥淢arketing Associate鈥�, I got experience in Project Management and Business Development with specific B2B tasks such as constructing a whitepaper and crafting pitches for Canada鈥檚 biggest financial institutions.
This internship has overall been a very rewarding experience and the highlights of my work at WALO were simply when my efforts were recognized and appreciated. Constructing the whitepaper was a challenging but enriching task and it was very validating when I was given compliments and constructive criticism on my work. Another highlight from this internship was reaching out to specific personal finance and FinTech influencers and getting on calls with them to arrange collaborations. I felt like my work was making an impact which is what resonated the most with me throughout my time at WALO.
Because of previous roles and internships, I was accustomed to guided and structured tasks and assignments. So this being my first experience in a start-up, at first it was hard for me to adjust to the autonomy and independence I got in my role. It was a constant cycle of doubting my work, but the WALO team always boosted my confidence and made me realize my work鈥檚 worth. I learned to appreciate and value my efforts more.
This internship has helped me ground and solidify my interests in the FinTech and Personal Finance industry. Before this internship, I was unsure which field I wanted to enter, and I wasn鈥檛 as knowledgeable about start-up culture. However, after this internship, I have realized the profound importance of start-ups in industries as transformative and flourishing as the FinTech one. As a result of this internship, I decided to change some complementary courses in my Economics degree to learn more about finance, international payments and money in the world.
The funds I received for this internship helped my family reduce the financial burden of supporting me in Montreal which includes paying rent, sustaining myself and more. I鈥檓 so grateful for the generous support of 捆绑SM社区 alumni and the Arts Undergraduate Society for allowing me to focus completely on excelling in this internship.
I am not receiving any academic credit for this internship.
