Culture at Parkside

Internships are great resume builders but can often be unenjoyable. As an intern, you are in a middle-ground. You are an outsider who is an insider. You spend time getting shuffled around from person to person, not spending much time with anyone. It makes it challenging to form meaningful relationships. You often get lost in the shuffle. The internship experience was far from this. Parkside's team was extraordinary, packed with dedicated, intelligent, and engaging individuals.

Diligent Team

We saw a glimpse of Parkside's hard-working culture before the internship started. While COVID-19 was shutting down the world, Meredith worked tirelessly. Meredith's ability to create an enjoyable yet safe experience was a balancing act that is only comparable to that of a circus performer. In a time where it would be easier to cancel, Parkside continued. The phrase "Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard" holds. It is a good thing they have both.

Intelligent Professionals

From a quick LinkedIn search of the team, you find a game of alphabet soup. Almost everyone has a few letters behind their name; CFA, CFP, CPA, JD, MBA, and many more. Merit alone, these individuals are intelligent professionals. When speaking with them, this was confirmed. No question could not be answered or a problem that could not be solved. With a team of about 60 members, they are small but highly effective. From the words of CEO, Jim Wagner, "We can't afford B-Team players." Every member must be hard-working, intelligent, and engaging.

Selfless Engagement

Everyone at Parkside was willing to help in any way possible and takes a genuine interest in each intern. A great example was Michael Frasca, a Portfolio Banker. He balanced an intern every week (sometimes multiple), along with his regular duties. His passion for teaching the intricacies of our projects, no matter the time commitment, often meant he would come in early and stay late. This dedication, to the internship program, was exhibited by all the mentors and members at Parkside.

A Wonderful Experience    

All in all, we will not remember this internship by the work we completed but by the hard-working, intelligent, and engaging people with whom we worked. If you are a future intern reading this, they see the same in you.