Internship Spotlight: Bank RI

Graduate Nick Viveiros began an internship with BankRI which lead to full-time employment. Read on to learn about his experience!

If you’re interested in doing your own internship but don’t know where to start, make an appointment with your Career Advisor by going to Handshake.

What was your internship?  I interned as a “Commercial Real Estate Assistant”. I worked with BankRI full-time throughout the summer of 22’. During this time I assisted loan officers, portfolio managers, and credit analysts with the day-to-day of commercial real estate lending. I reached out to borrowers for needed financials, created cashflows to determine income potential for lending deals on multi-family and commercial properties, and created Net Worth statements to assess the credit worthiness of borrowers within the Bank’s portfolio.

Why were you initially interested in this internship? I was initially interested in this internship because I was unsure of the career path that I wanted. I originally planned on working in Investments as a financial advisor or investment analyst, but I started second-guessing myself on if the field was of interest to me. I received job offers for the field but rather than accept an offer in the field I was unsure if I opted to pursue an internship in commercial banking to see if the field interested me further. I enjoyed the bank management course I had taken in college which had given me a bit of comfort in making this decision. I had a relationship built with Andrew Deluski from class, who I saw my personality aligned with well; His character helped me envision myself pursuing a career in the same field as him, which was commercial real estate banking.

How did you find your internship? I had developed a relationship with Andrew Deluski throughout multiple courses I had taken with him in the finance major over my tenure at Roger Williams University. When I was unsure of accepting a job offer in the investment field I reached out to him to see if he knew of any companies looking for interns. I thought I could get a wider scope on job opportunities and felt comfortable asking Andy for his advice. Over the next few months he ended up reaching out to notify me his company, BankRI was looking for interns for the upcoming summer. I used this opportunity to apply for the internship via their website and in turn land an interview.

Has this internship helped you work towards your future career goals? If so, how? Yes, the internship solidified my interest in commercial banking as I was unsure of my path as I grew closer toward graduation. By accepting the internship post-graduation throughout the summer, I then felt comfortable pursuing a job in commercial banking. My efforts throughout the internship led to me now working full-time as a Credit Analyst in Commercial Real Estate for BankRI. I was offered a position at the end of August and have worked full-time since. 

What was your biggest lesson/takeaway from the internship? Organization and time management are two skills that truly have helped me the most in being successful thus far in the field. The amount of information and revolving tasks are too difficult to not keep track of efficiently. By staying organized I have helped mitigate some of the stress within the field. In addition, asking questions constantly has been the key to not only gaining more insight into how to do things correctly but has also shown that I have an interest in learning more about the field around me.

What advice would you give to someone interested in a similar internship opportunity? I think organization skills are great for efficiency in a workplace that has so many deals and tasks revolving at once. I also think networking can be of great help in breaking into the field. The best networking in my opinion is through the provision of quality work and effort. Effort does a great job in increasing your credibility and connecting to more people around you who may be able to help you find a job, it can be classmates, professors, or relationships you build outside of school completely.

By Mary Santoro
Mary Santoro Director of Career Services