Transfer Student Steven Fisher Highlights Experiential Learning Opportunity as a Corporate Accounting Intern for Partner4Work Pittsburgh

Meet Steven Fisher

Job Title & Employer: Corporate Accounting Intern, Partner4Work Pittsburgh
Major/Program: Accounting
Graduation: April 2022
College Activities: Student Accounting Association
Scholarships: Presidential Transfer and Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society
Hometown: Whitehall, Pa.
High School: Baldwin High School
Hobbies & Interests: Public access television, trail walking, being with friends

“At Partner4Work (P4W), we believe that young adults learn to work by working. During his Learn & Earn internship, Steven demonstrated high professionalism and brought out-of-the-box thinking and innovation to tackle the tasks to which he was assigned. His service at P4W is a testament to his character as well as his undergraduate studies at Point Park University. He is sure to add value to future employers and advance quickly in his professional journey post-graduation.”

Kristin S. Kramer, Chief Financial Officer, Partner4Work Pittsburgh

"Knowing Point Park is in the center of Downtown Pittsburgh surrounded by the Big Four accounting firms and so much more, I felt it was the right match knowing that the professors have once worked for the biggest companies in the world. No other school can try to reach Point Park’s level when it comes to experiential learning opportunities."

Steven Fisher

"It is a great credit to Partner4Work that despite their organization going remote last spring, they maintained their internship commitment and redesigned it to be remote. Steven not only excelled at meeting the expectations of the internship, but utilized the virtual environment to add innovative ways to manage the work." — Margaret Gilfillan, MBA, CPA, professor emerita, accounting

What steps did you take to secure your virtual internship at Partner4Work?

Knowing that it was my first semester coming to Point Park University, I needed to seek critical career placement advice from the school’s Professional Career-Readiness Center to help prepare me for my first internship. Since I am a CCAC graduate, I qualified for the Pathways to Professional Careers program to create a working resume, cover letter, reference sheet and update my LinkedIn profile. I worked closely with Michael Clarke, Point Park's co-op coordinator, and we saw a posting for Partner4Work's Learn & Earn program. I applied, had a Zoom interview and accepted the internship opportunity.

What were some of your key responsibilities as a corporate accounting intern?

I was in charge of examining and uploading invoices for P4W’s annual Summer Youth Learn & Earn program. Everyday, I would receive one or two invoices and observe each page of information containing receipts, bus passes and balance sheets containing what items were expensed during the summer. After looking through each one, I would upload them to Blackbaud, a nonprofit accounting system, to be checked by the team. The whole program, which is funded by state grants, is worth about $4.5 million. In addition to the program, the county created a block grant fund this summer for nearly 400 students to be paid for their experiences. To keep the Learn & Earn funds separated from the block grants, I created a massive spreadsheet to calculate each cost by person, organization and month to get the exact amount for the government to track. The fiscal team thought it was the most innovative thing they had witnessed in quite some time.

When choosing a college, what made Point Park University’s accounting program stand out to you?

Knowing Point Park is in the center of Downtown Pittsburgh surrounded by the Big Four accounting firms and so much more, I felt it was the right match knowing that the professors have once worked for the biggest companies in the world. No other school can try to reach Point Park’s level when it comes to experiential learning opportunities.

How did your accounting classes help you in this internship?

I took accounting classes at CCAC before transferring to Point Park, but I have not had the opportunity to complete my advanced courses at Point Park yet. Taking Professor Amy Cesario’s Accounting Information Systems course before the internship was coincidental. Her experience in using Intuit QuickBooks has given me a beginner’s idea of how accounting software operated and I couldn’t have gotten a better instructor who knew the ins-and-outs of using the computer for accounting functions.

What are some of your favorite Point Park experiences thus far?

Knowing that we are living in a COVID-19 world, I have not had the opportunity to experience all that Point Park has to offer. However, I am the secretary of Point Park's Student Accounting Association and I really enjoy it.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

If P4W ever needs people to come back to do more accounting work, I am ready to sign up for the next program. If you are ever looking for a summer internship that gives you the opportunity to work with a mentor one-on-one, P4W can help college students prepare them with the basic skills necessary to gain the competitive edge in getting a job after graduation.

Transfer Student Steven Fisher Highlights Experiential Learning Opportunity as a Corporate Accounting Intern for Partner4Work Pittsburgh Student Profile