In turn with Russell Sherrod

Accounting student Russell Sherrod is making the most of his KPMG opportunity. He first learned about it during Meet the Firms, the COB’s accounting department’s annual career fair.

“I applied for an internship opportunity and connected with a KPMG recruiter who recommended the firm’s Embark Scholars program,” said Sherrod.

The Rocky Mount native and high school wrestling referee then took it from there. He recently accepted an offer as a federal audit intern in KPMG’s Washington, D.C. office for the summer of 2022. He plans to pursue his MSA after graduating in spring of 2022.

He shared his thoughts about his experiences with KPMG and the College of Business.

What were your responsibilities with KPMG?

The Embark Scholar Internship allowed me to connect virtually with some of the brightest and most brilliant interns across the nation. As part of the programs, I completed networking, informational and engagement shadowing sessions in the three functional areas of advisory, audit and tax. During the eight-week internship, I presented an intern innovation pitch and presentation with a team of national functional interns. I also completed the Embark Internship Capstone pitch and presentation with my Embark Scholar Team. Our team worked closely together and created disruptive and innovative ideas that would improve the Embark Scholars program. I couldn’t have asked for a better team; we placed second after pitching to firm partners, leaders and Embark Scholars.

How have you applied what you learned in your classwork to this position?

All my courses in the College of Business prepared me well for this internship. I used much of the introductory accounting knowledge learned in the accounting courses I have taken so far. During my tax functional rotation, I also applied some of the tax knowledge I learned in my ACCT 4611 class. My coursework in BUSI 2200 & 3200 was beneficial given the amount of work in teams that I did during the internship. These two courses helped me work efficiently and productively to achieve project goals and assignments in a virtual team environment.

What was the most challenging thing you experienced during your internship, and how did what you learned in the COB help you overcome it?

The most challenging part of my internship was the virtual environment. It is tough to get a complete picture of accounting work virtually. However, KPMG did a good job creating a virtual internship that allowed interns to gain a good look and understanding of its culture and a high-level overview of the service lines they offer.

With the highly utilized virtual environment during the last 16 months, the COB has taught me that the virtual environment isn’t going anywhere any time soon. However, the

COB has given students many tips and tricks to create productive teams and have authentic connections in this current virtual environment.

 What has this internship taught you about responsibility?

With the number of projects, presentations and regular job assignments that I had during this internship, I learned the importance of having a solid work plan for completing tasks before jumping into them. Also, time flies, so don’t wait until the last minute!

How will this internship benefit you?

This internship gave me access to knowledge and assisted me with getting my foot in the door in the public accounting industry. It exposed me to the corporate environment while also giving me insight into the audit, tax and advisory service lines.

One of the main barriers to the accounting industry for underrepresented students is a lack of information and exposure to accounting early in a student’s academic journey. KPMG’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion – evidenced by its Embark Scholars Program – has connected me with partners and other accounting professionals early in my career to help me navigate possible career paths in the accounting industry.

Why would you recommend a business student take advantage of an internship opportunity?

An internship allows students to understand better what they would like and dislike in terms of their career paths and the possible work they would be performing. Internships also equip students to build and broaden their professional network. During my internship, I connected with many national Embark interns ranging from the east to the West Coast, associates, managers and even national partners. The connections I made are lasting, and I feel that I can reach out and lean on them for almost anytime.

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