Finding my Spark at Discover - Summer 2023 Internship

I am so grateful to have been on a fun journey throughout these last 8 weeks as a Data Analytics intern at Discover! This internship meant a lot to me and taught me some very valuable skills, both for personal growth and professional development.

My journey with Discover started in May 2022, when I attended their “Women in Tech & Analytics” program, as a part of their “Diversity Accelerator Program”. It was a great experience, dipping my toes into knowing more about the company, its culture, understanding how much Discover values Diversity and Inclusion, and the various opportunities there are within the company to get involved in. Based on the wonderful experience I had at Discover during the event, I applied and interviewed for their 2023 Summer Internship, choosing the Data Analytics path. I was incredibly thrilled when I received the acceptance letter from them a few months later.

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My project was within the Consumer Banking sector, working for the eBusiness/Direct Marketing team! When I started my internship?in mid-June 2023, I was given a detailed run-through of what my project would entail and who I would be working with.?My project goal was to create an omni-channel dashboard framework to have a quick visual identification of performance and specific drivers of low performance through our Direct Marketing team. It was also expected that my dashboard provided a clear way to view overall, channel, and campaign performance data. Getting the required information to figure out the solution was a steep mountain to climb, however, attributable to my recency to Discover, its business and the organization at large. To make a compelling contribution that met the goals expected of me, I scheduled meetings with our channel representatives, identified what reporting capabilities already existed within my department today, and figured out what is needed from an optimal state. Then, I figured out if there were any gaps (missing data that any of the channels needed in order to analyze performance).?

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While this project was challenging, it was also a lot of fun to work on. I got to collaborate with various people, expand my business knowledge, as well as enhance my skills along the way. I harnessed my verbal/written communication skills and analytical skills to network with coworkers, gain information from them, and develop a business solution that can help my department. I specifically worked with Tableau, Excel, and PowerPoint for this project. This project has helped me grow a lot in terms of understanding how things work in a corporate setting and?applying my business knowledge in a practical scenario. With this internship, I can understand what is expected out of a Business Data Analyst role.?

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Besides the project, I have also been making new connections with different interns in various business units. I have joined two Employee Resource Groups, one involving Asian Professionals, and the other involving Women at Discover. These interactions have helped me broaden my perspective on meeting new people and learning people’s opinions about different topics.?

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Overall, the internship experience at Discover was amazing. The company culture is incredibly welcoming, diverse, and inclusive. All of the Emerging Talent team helped us interns throughout the summer and helped made this internship a memorable experience! I’m so glad to have spent my summer working for a wonderful company. I especially would like to thank Sue Rosen (my manager), Simone Bedolla (my subject matter expert), Allison Devlin (the Direct Marketing VP), everyone on the Direct Marketing Team, and Kristen Radel (from the Emerging Talent team) for making this internship experience unforgettable!

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