COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

When Bank of Oak Ridge began looking for summer interns, Paige Oliver, ’98 graduate, President and CEO, turned to the College of Business to find qualified applicants to fill the roles. Through her connection with Executive Director of Development Mary Susan Britt and the Office of Student Services, Oliver found recent management graduate Jacob Terrell and accounting major Mahlon Markle.

“Real world experience is a valuable part of preparing Tech students to enter the workforce upon graduation,” said Oliver. “The work helps reinforce the concepts they are learning in their business courses, and the experience enhances their resumes. What they learn during their internship makes them a more competitive candidate when interviewing for their future career.”

Terrell and Markle’s duties differ slightly, though both acknowledge their work is giving them broad experience. Terrell has been charged with performing internal audit functions, reviewing daily BSA reports, reviewing bank policies, acting as a teller, and compiling information for a bank performance spreadsheet. Markle has been trained in several areas of banking and helps with BSA reports, acting as a teller, and has taken on special projects including comparing bank fees to peer institutions.

“Through this internship, I hoped to gain as much knowledge as possible about all aspects of banking,” said Markle. “I have been able to see what I have learned in various classes being applied in real-world situations at Bank of Oak Ridge. The people I have worked with and the knowledge I have gained through this internship will make a real difference in my future.”

Terrell agrees. “I strive to learn as much as I can about the banking system, along with how to create and implement HR policies to help the organization achieve its fullest potential,” he said. “The College of Business gave me a firm foundation in business policies and practices to allow to me to understand how business is done.”

Would you like to connect with College of Business students with internship or job opportunities at your company? Contact Mary Susan Britt at marysusan@latechalumni.org for details.