Analytical Finance Major Gains Experience at Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency

A recommendation from a friend and a campus visit is all Lilia Putt ’20 needed to fall in love with LVC. 

“During my tour, I sat in on a math class and met the professors afterward. From our conversations, I could tell that the professors cared for their students and wanted to see them succeed,” said Putt. 

Putt joined LVC’s first cohort of analytical finance majors in August 2016. 

“The major focuses on financial modeling, which requires us to be familiar with, and skilled at, programs such as Excel,” said Putt. “We also have to understand what data is useful and what is not, and how to communicate these findings effectively.”

Putt wasted no time translating her knowledge to the workplace. She spent the last two summers as an intern with the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA). Assigned to the Multifamily Development Team, Putt’s responsibilities included data entry and working with Microsoft Excel spreadsheets to help check rent schedules to determine if a property met certain requirements.

“I used multiple complex excel functions to complete this task,” said Putt. “Normally, this job was completed by hand and took quite some time, but after using the Excel sheet, the time to check the schedules was significantly decreased.”

Along with the practical work experience gained at her internship, Putt is developing her public speaking and presentation skills.

“Most of my math and finance classes have involved presenting homework in front of the class,” said Putt. “I can now effectively explain how to use the spreadsheets I create over conference calls and clearly articulate my findings.”

Now entering her last semester at LVC, Putt hopes to receive a full-time position at PHFA. If the opportunity arises, Putt would also love to work for a nonprofit organization. 

“The relationships that I made while interning at PHFA provided me with talented and skilled colleagues and connections and references that I can rely on for whatever the future may bring,” she said. 

 

-- Parker Gallagher, Marketing & Communications Student Assistant