Internship Spotlight: Meghan Frazier ’18
Providence College has no shortage of exceptional students, which is why we established a platform where we could let their accomplishments shine. Our Internship Spotlight series provides the perfect place for them to recount some of the most memorable aspects of their impressive internship experiences. From companies like L’Oreal to RXR Realty, the students of the PCSB transition from classroom to real world by taking what they’ve learned and applying it to their delegated roles. Meet Meghan Frazier, a senior who interned at BlackRock in the securitized assets division last summer!
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- What was your major/minor?
I am a finance major with an economics minor.
2. Does the company you interned with have a social media presence, specifically on the channels below? If so, what are their usernames and/or links to their pages?
Facebook: BlackRock
Twitter: BlackRock
LinkedIn: BlackRock
3. When/how did you secure your internship at BlackRock? Did you work on any specific projects that you found particularly interesting?
I secured my internship by applying online through the BlackRock website. I spent the next few weeks linking with alumni on LinkedIn, asking them for advice on how I could best secure an internship. The first round of interviewing for BlackRock was an online virtual cover letter that was sent for
review with my resume. Next, I had a phone interview with two employees, and then a final day of interviews in BlackRock’s New York City office. My team contacted me within 48 hours informing me I had been chosen for the position! I worked in the Global Fixed Income division this summer working specifically on the Securitized Assets team, performing a hybrid mix of trading and research. My summer consisted of a rotational program through the five different sectors that made up our securitized assets division: residential mortgage-backed-securities, commercial mortgage-backed-securities, asset-backed-securities, collateralized loan obligations, and a special team called the opportunistic team. While I thoroughly enjoyed working with all teams, my time spent with the commercial mortgage-backed-securities team and the opportunistic team really intrigued me. While working with the commercial mortgage-backed-securities team, I was able to dissect and evaluate large trophy properties all across the United States. My time on the opportunistic team was also enjoyable, as I got to really witness the innovation that makes BlackRock such a successful company. This team worked completely differently than all other sectors of the team, working with much different opportunities I never knew fell under the umbrella of fixed income.
4. Tell us a little bit about what you did on a day-to-day basis?
My day began in the office generating reports consisting of both daily market information and recaps, and specific information regarding the securitized assets markets for my other team members. The next few hours usually consisted of a mix of attending interesting investing presentations by top industry professionals and working on different projects, depending on what desk I was sitting at that week. I sat with different members of my team, learning how they evaluate and trade the bonds to fit with the different portfolios BlackRock manages. Since every sector under Securitized Assets is very different in regards to the nature of the bonds and how they are traded and evaluated, my job was constantly changing. However, during the totality of my internship, I was responsible for being the first point of contact for other firms calling in to my team, manning the phone at all times.
5. What was the most challenging aspect of your job?
For me, the most challenging aspect of my job was learning to manage my time and balance it through all the different projects my group assigned to me. I was fortunate enough to have a team that trusted me with real work over the summer, treating me like a normal analyst opposed to an intern. With this responsibility came a plethora of projects in addition to answering the phones at all times. During busy trading days when other firms were calling constantly, most of my time was dedicated to answering the phones and relaying calls and messages to other members of my team. Over time, I learned how to balance handling the phones, projects, and meetings with the help of my team, though there was a definite learning curve for me at the beginning.
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Read about more PCSB students and their Internship Spotlights here!
