Posted By: Career Enrichment Network
Interested in interning abroad? Cameron Stevens, majoring in Economics, International Politics and Finance and minoring in Chinese, spent last summer interning in China with CRCC Asia.
Read on, to learn more about Cameron’s experience while he was there!
Photos and content contributed by Cameron Stevens.
This summer, I interned at the DM Capital Harmony Fund in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China. The Harmony Fund is an equity fund that invests in companies listed on the Hang Seng (Hong Kong) stock exchange. They operate as “activist investors” which means that they invest in a small group of companies and actively consult with those companies to promote growth. The Harmony Fund can be thought of as a mutual fund that provides consulting expertise to its company holdings.
Day-to-day, I was responsible for generating company reports for equities that were of interest to my supervisors. A report would include a summary of the company’s strategy, recent financial data, analyst reports, and predictions for the future success of the stock. Additionally, I was expected to keep a close eye on current economic and financial events in global markets that could potentially have influenced our holdings.
To get this internship, I applied to the CRCC Asia China internship program. This program provides accepted students with a relevant internship placement in a Chinese city. I first learned about this program through the Smeal global programs office. To apply, I complete CRCC Asia’s application, and conducted a phone interview with a representative in early December. I received my acceptance notification in late winter, and was notified of my internship placement in late March.
I was the recipient of Liberal Arts College Enrichment Funding. The amount of my award was $1,700. This funding greatly subsidized the heavy costs of travelling to, and living in China and was greatly appreciated by both me and my family.
After Deng Xiaoping’s financial reforms in 1978, Shenzhen was established as one of the fastest growing centers of industry and entrepreneurship in southern China. Having the opportunity to work in this city, to experience life in such a vibrant and powerful financial hub, was an amazing boost to my motivation to continue learning Chinese and to pursue a career in the international financial world. Shenzhen is a truly special city that was created for finance, by finance. Anybody interested in a career in finance or economics would find Shenzhen to be a career-developing paradise.
After my internship experience, I had the opportunity to participate in a trip sponsored by a partner company to CRCC, The Dragon Trip. This trip provided a tour plan and guidance through a 21 day trip around China’s most famous cities and attractions. The most memorable experiences included camping on the Great Wall, Kung Fu training with Shaolin monks, and visits to Beijing, Shanghai, Xi’an, Chengdu, and Yangshuo.
This experience was extraordinary as it allowed me to finally get acquainted with the country that I had fallen in love with through my study of the mandarin Chinese language.
My career goal is to continue my study of the Chinese language, and of all facets of the international economic and financial system. In doing this, I will prepare myself to offer expertise in this geographical and topical area and hopefully be able to find a job that allows me to travel often and to continue learning. This plan stems directly from the excellent experience abroad in China. After coming back home, my thoughts are now only of how to continue to push my limits of travel and employment. I will be seeking another internship abroad in a similar sector for next summer.
This experience gave me an excellent opportunity to take what I was learning out of the classroom and apply it in a real business setting. Every day, I was responsible for reading financial and economic news and understanding how it would affect the performance of our holdings. In doing this, I was applying what I had learned in my economics and international politics classes to directly translate real events to the performance of our clients’ portfolios. In this internship, there was a clear connection between my liberal arts education and my ability to help strategically plan for the welfare of our clients. It doesn’t get any more real than this.
My email address is cls5958@psu.edu. If anybody is interested in following in my footsteps and applying for CRCC Asia, just let me know. I am in good standing with the directors of the program and I would love for another Penn Stater to make their mark on China. I am more than willing to put in a good word for applicants who represent the spirit and work ethic of our excellent university.
All Liberal Arts students studying or interning abroad are eligible for Enrichment Funding. To learn more, please schedule an appointment via Network Symplicity or email Jackie Smith, Global Experiences Coordinator (jds54@psu.edu)