UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN River Falls

Internships

Kendyl Bennett-Featured Intern

KendylBennett

Major: Accounting
Hometown: Preston, Minnesota 
Internship (4th):  Accounting Intern, Spring 2020
Employer: Wipfli LLP, Lake Elmo, MN
How did you acquire your internship? I met the recruiter at the CBE Etiquette Dinner and she offered me an interview for this position.
Future: I will complete another accounting internship this summer with a construction firm in Downtown Minneapolis. Upon completion of graduation in December of 2020, I plan to do another public accounting internship (auditing) in the spring (2021) and begin a MBA Grad Program the following fall (2021). I will then begin taking the CPA exam and working full time. 

Wipfli is a public accounting firm that offers many different services to best accommodate to the needs of their clients including assurance, accounting, tax and consulting. There are 48 US offices and 2 India offices with over 250 partners and 2,400 associates ranking them among the top 20 accounting and consulting firms in the nation. 

As an accounting intern, my role was to prepare individual, business, and fiduciary tax returns. I worked with my manager and leaders throughout the firm to ensure I was preparing the returns in accordance with professional guidelines and standards. I also worked with the Research and Development Tax Credit team to prepare R&D credits for businesses in a variety of different industries. I was able to interact with clients at site visits and also over conference calls to discuss factors that would impact their credit.

Through this role, I was able to further develop my professional communication skills as I was required to contact leaders in offices throughout the US and also communicate with clients. I have made many great connections through this experience that will benefit me throughout my career. Before I started this internship, one goal I had set for myself was to go on a site visit to a clients workplace and I was very happy to accomplish that goal. Through that opportunity, I further developed my professional etiquette as I needed to represent my firm in a positive manner.

My internship with Wipfli has helped me to confirm my career choice of Accounting. I was excited to accomplish my first tax season in Public Accounting and this has also helped to confirm I would like to start my career in Public Accounting specifically. I am eager to try a rotation in Audit hopefully next spring.

My advice to fellow students is to try as many new things as you can. An internship is a great way to try out different areas within your specific major and different industries/companies you could potentially work for in the future. In the workplace, approach every new project or task with a positive attitude because it is something you can control and will take you a long way in your career!