Summer Internship: A Day in the Life of Victor Penera

Business Administration Major with emphasis in Finance 

Hi! My name is Victor Penera and I am heading into my senior year at San Diego State University. My major is Business Administration with an emphasis in Finance. This summer I’m an intern with Merrill Lynch Wealth Management.

Merrill Lynch Wealth Management is an American investing and wealth management division of Bank of America. It is one of the largest businesses of its kind in the world and specializes in goals-based wealth management, including planning for retirement, education, legacy, and other life goals through investment advice and guidance. I discovered this internship through a notification on my Blackboard back in the fall semester of 2019. As someone with a passion to increase financial literacy in low-income communities, Merrill Lynch’s motto of merging Wall Street with Main Street is what truly piqued my interest. 

Being in a virtual environment has definitely presented its challenges, but nonetheless I am grateful to have been given an opportunity to learn from some of the best executives and financial advisors the industry has to offer. 

Here is a day in the life of my virtual internship! 

5:30 A.M. My alarm goes off at 5:30 a.m., but I don’t get out of bed until 6 a.m. I start my day by making a cup of coffee and going over emails from the day before. You may be wondering why I am up so early, well, one of the downsides of being in California is that learning sessions are all on Eastern Standard Time.

6:00 A.M. Some days we will have guest speakers address our intern class, and other days we will have training sessions that cover a wide-array of financial topics. After our training sessions I usually review my notes, work on projects, or get started on assignments that I have due later on in the week. 

7:00 A.M. I have weekly meetings with the San Diego Merrill Lynch team and we cover a broad range of topics depending on the agenda. In this meeting we have seasoned financial advisors give us advice on what it takes to be successful in this industry. I have found these weekly meetings to be extremely insightful as they have been great ways for me to learn if this is a career I want to pursue. 

10:00 A.M. This is when I usually take my first break of the day. It gives me time to stretch and relax. One of the most important aspects that I have learned of being in a virtual internship is prioritizing self-care. It is very easy to catch yourself working on a project for one minute, and then realizing you haven’t left your room all day. Whether it’s going for a quick walk, or sitting outside for a few minutes, it’s important to take care of your mental health. 

11:00 A.M. At 11 a.m. we have our national Advisor Development Program call with interns from all over the world. These calls are great ways for us to interact with each other and ask our program coordinators questions. These meetings are where we get debriefed and are given any updates for the week ahead. 

12:00 P.M. Project time! One of my favorite aspects of the internship. We are assigned cohorts that consist of interns from all over the country. All interns come from a different division of the Bank, and this has proven to be extremely beneficial as we all approach these projects with different perspectives and ideas. Not being able to interact with others in a personal setting has been challenging, especially when it comes to working with a group, but this has highlighted the importance of effective communication. 

1:00 P.M. We have our second national call of the day with the Financial Advisor Development Program at around 1:00 p.m. I have found these calls to be very helpful as we are able to learn directly from employees close to our age who have been in our shoes before. These calls are meant for us to see what it takes to be successful in this program. 

1:30 P.M. I meet with my mentor and program manager every week and we go over some of the tasks I have completed, along with projects I have coming up. These meetings allow me to ask more detailed questions about the process of working with clients. My biggest takeaway from this experience so far has been understanding the importance of being prepared and coming to work with a smile every day. 

2:00 P.M. By this time of the day the San Diego heat starts to pick up and I have my fans on full blast. I use this last hour of the day to finish any projects I have been working on, and to prepare for the next day. Once I finish checking my email, it’s time to log off and enjoy the rest of my day! 

Working for such an established firm has shown me the importance of working with a team to give clients the support they need. Although this wasn’t what any of us had anticipated, this shows how vital it is to adapt to new situations. I have learned that we probably will never return to back to “normal” and that’s okay, because we have a “new normal” now. This is why Bank of America Merrill Lynch continues to be one of the top financial institutions in the world, because of its ability to progress, adapt with the current environment, and grow responsibly. I am forever grateful to have been given this opportunity to learn and grow with this company.