A dual French and economics major, Gweneth Marter ’17 was already interested in working in the realm of finance. Her summer internship with Abacus Planning Group, a women-owned financial planning and investment firm in South Carolina, has only solidified her belief that this is precisely the field she would like to work in after graduation next spring.
Marter discovered the intern position through a networking opportunity coordinated by Scripps College’s Career Planning & Resources. She connected with Cheryl Holland P’18, the founder of the company, who was looking to hire an intern from Scripps. A staunch supporter of women in business, Holland was recognized in 2015 by Barron’s as one of the “Top 100 Women Financial Advisors,” and has twice been on Wealth Management magazine’s list of “Top Fifty Women in Wealth Management.”
Marter summarizes her internship so far in two words: “a dream.” As a firm with a number of years of experience working with interns, Abacus immediately made Marter feel like a productive member of a well-organized and efficient team.
“They know exactly how to orient, mentor, and educate newcomers,” she reflects.
In her role, Marter handles a variety of tasks, from organizing financial documents to greeting clients as they come in and helping the office run smoothly on a day-to-day basis. Furthermore, Marter has had a chance to see firsthand what the personal finance industry looks like—sitting in on conference calls with clients, seeing the progress of investments, entering investor data, and learning the hierarchy and inner workings of a financial-planning company.
Marter believes her internship experience is helping prepare her for not only for her future classes at Scripps, but also for entering the workforce in the financial world.
She explains, “I’m an economics major, and my knowledge in that particular field has been, and continues to be, deepened by this internship. I’ve learned a lot about personal finance that I’m excited to apply not only to my own life, but to my work at Scripps and econ classes, specifically.”
While Marter has gained technical skills and glimpsed what a future career path might entail, one of the most valuable aspects of her internship has simply been working with and learning from Abacus employees.
“Every employee at Abacus has been very personable with me, so I feel confident that they will be resources for life,” she says.
Marter emphasizes that being in an environment that celebrates powerful women in the workplace has positively impacted both her confidence and ambitions.
“It’s empowering to work for Cheryl and see her, as well as the other female higher-ups, in such positions of power. They’re all such accomplished, strong role models, and every day feels like valuable exposure to what could very well be my future.”