Rhea Foster ’05

Student Intern

Internship: Fall 2004
Site: Commonwealth Financial Group
Location: Boston, Mass.

Hometown: Springfield, Mass.
Major: Business Administration with an Accounting and Finance concentration

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Internship: Commonwealth Financial Group

“Much more than an asset for my future career,” states PMC senior Rhea Foster, “my internship was a big boost up for my maturity level.” A May 2005 graduate, Foster is majoring in Business Administration, with a concentration in Accounting and Finance. Her fall 2004 Senior Internship took her to Commonwealth Financial Group (CFG), a Boston firm that provides insurance protection products and financial products and services for individuals and businesses.

“We are dedicated to the success of our associates,” states the company’s financial strategy. The objective: “that each associate be a highly competent professional, respected for technical expertise, product knowledge, and commitments to professional growth through continuing education and service to the community.”

Foster is grateful that she was a recipient of this objective at CFG, even though she was only an intern. Her training and mentoring were tops, she believes. With a senior CFG staff member as her site supervisor, Foster participated daily in activities related to corporate clients–enrollment meetings, presentations, business dinners, compliance meetings. “There never was a tedious day,” she reports. “I worked side by side with a retirement plan specialist, who focuses on clients’ investments, their 401(k)s and other retirement plans, and how to keep in compliance with them. When a client wasn’t in the office, I witnessed business call after business call and learned a lot about the field and about handling clients.”

When outsiders visited headquarters, Foster’s supervisor would introduce her and ask permission for her to join the meetings. “I learned a tremendous amount in these conferences, including a good understanding of the terms involved in financial planning. Sometimes my site supervisor would even ask me to explain certain terms and concepts. He was so good at his job, so self-confident, that he made me feel more confident,” she reports.

Before interning at CSG, Foster only knew that she wanted to use her love of accounting and finance in her future career. Her internship experience fine-tuned her goals, and now she hopes to be a financial advisor some day, a position that eventually will require more education toward licensing. “I’d love to work in retirement planning,” comments Foster. “It’s so crucial for so many people’s lives.” There’s a lot to learn in this field, she adds, so as a first step she decided to increase her knowledge by securing a lower-level position in a financial services firm.

“I could really see how much I had developed in my internship when I started looking for jobs,” states Foster. “My CFG experience helped me get interviews, then my mentor at CFG prepped me for the kind of questions people might ask, and that made me more confident. Several interviewers told me they were impressed with my knowledge of the industry.”

Foster’s supervisor encouraged her to network too. “I left CSG with a stack of business cards,” says Foster. “My supervisor talked with me about the importance of networking and gave me tips on how to do it. I’m gradually working through the cards, setting up information interviews.”

The Boston area, where there are a lot of opportunities, was Foster’s first choice for a job, but eventually she decided to settle in the South “where it’s not so cold!” (She has family in Georgia and North Carolina, where she plans to live with her sisters.) Foster is now working part-time for Bank of America, and she’d like to work there full-time after graduation. “I’ve been very happy at Pine Manor these four years,” continues Foster. “I had a lot of fun in college, and I took advantage of every opportunity: clubs, class offices, sports—as well as part-time work in a candy shop.”

“The people at PMC are great,” she adds. “Especially the staff. Everyone wants to see you succeed, and they’re all willing to help. The ongoing support, prodding, and encouragement of faculty and staff have helped me grow in more ways than I can name. I am a different person than I was four years ago—I’m happier, self-confident, more focused–and I’m really excited about my future!”