![Sharif Shrestha '17.](https://s3.amazonaws.com/mediacdn.hamilton.edu/images/4:3/400/shresthasjpg.jpg)
My NYC Program internship experience at Q5 Partners was an amazing opportunity for me to get a foot in the door in the consulting world, and develop my business acumen through exposure to industries such as finance, education and media. This opportunity was brought to my attention by Abby Taylor, a professional counselor in the Career Center. Given my interest in management consulting, I was quickly drawn to this internship and actively pursued it by reaching out to alumna Carrie Uhlein ‘15, an analyst at Q5. Upon talking to her over the phone and learning about the internship opportunity, I decided to apply and interview. I went through two rounds of interviews, the first with Carrie and the second with a partner at the firm. The rest was history!
Hamilton has a long history of connecting students with alumni and parents whose advice, expertise, and resources help talented young people achieve success for themselves and in their communities.
From directing and editing a marketing video to performing strategic benchmarking for clients, I found myself wearing many different hats as an intern at Q5. I was exposed to variety of industries from different regions, which required me to be flexible and adaptable at all times. In one instance, I was closely working with a university to help increase its global ranking and develop a plan strategic plan for 2020. For this project I researched similar universities and noted how these universities developed their growth strategy. Using components of this research, I was able to create a “deliverable” with a detailed comparison of some key components and performance indicators of the university’s strategic plan with other universities. Additionally, I was heavily involved in creating project proposals and editing internal media projects for the firm.
Consulting is a broad business of problem-solving that provides enough flexibility in tasks and industries for one to find his/her own niche. My internship at Q5 not only challenged me to push boundaries and be comfortable in diverse work environments, but also helped me develop a global business and strategic acumen.