Internship at KPMG Leads to Full-Time Job Offer for Nicole Files '18

There are multiple advantages to obtaining an accounting degree from LVC, but inarguably the College’s strongest advantages are its size and location. 

Being close to Harrisburg and Philadelphia, along with being a school with excellent student-faculty relationships, Lebanon Valley offers great networking opportunities for its students. When it comes to networking and self-marketing, senior Nicole Files ’18 is an excellent example. After attending LVC Accounting Night in the spring of 2016, she was able to line up an internship with one of America’s “Big Four” accounting firms, KPMG, a whole year in advance.

“Big Four accounting is regarded as the most prestigious sector, attracting the best young professionals in the industry,” Files said. “The rigor of the business and accounting program at LVC really prepared me to enter this corporate culture.”

Files began her internship for KPMG in the summer of 2017 with their National Intern Training in Orlando, Fla. There, she learned the ins and outs of the company. For Files, her favorite part of that week was meeting new people.

“I realized, everyone there was in the same situation,” Files said. “This week of training was more about bonding and having fun than learning audit standards and equations.”

From there, she went on to be trained in auditing, which she spent the remainder of her time doing at KPMG. On a weekly basis, Files was on the road meeting with clients and helping them assemble their financial records. She worked with public and private companies, but she enjoyed the work associated with public companies more.

“Professionally, working with public companies offered better opportunities to grow in a corporate culture,” said Files, who is a triple major pursuing degrees in accounting, business administration, and Spanish.

Files was able to travel so much, including the week in Florida, through the funds she received from earning an Edward H. Arnold and Jeanne Donlevy Arnold Program for Experiential Education Grant. As it was an extremely selective internship, it was important that she could prove herself intellectually and by handling the grind of extensive travel, which is expected when working for such a large firm. 

At the end of her summer at KPMG, Files was offered a full-time position in the Harrisburg office, which she will begin next fall. Immediately following graduation, she will study for her CPA exam in preparation for her future career.

 

-Maria Scacchitti, ’18, Marketing & Communications Intern