Intern Feature: Kelly Payne

I have been working at Sullivan, Poulin & Payne, P.C. for a few months now and have been performing many different tasks around the office. One of my main responsibilities on a day-to-day basis is answering phones and speaking directly with clients who come into the office. Furthermore, I have been doing a fair amount of bookkeeping using a few different accounting softwares. The main software that I have been working with is QuickBooks. Using QuickBooks, I enter transactions for our small business clients and proceed to reconcile their bank statements. In addition to these tasks, I am also in charge of proving and assembling personal tax returns. After one of the two CPAs in the office finishes a return, I check it over for any mistakes as a second set of eyes. After it has been proved, I print the return and package it for the clien

HOW DID YOU FIND THIS OPPORTUNITY?

My father, Stephen Payne, is the owner of Sullivan, Poulin & Payne. I started working at the office during tax season as a junior in high school. Back then, I would mainly just answer phones and scan papers. However, after diving into my major over the past few semesters I have been able to take on more accounting specific tasks this year. I have really enjoyed working at the firm and seeing how a small, local business is run.

WHAT HAS YOUR EXPERIENCE BEEN LIKE AND WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED

My experience at the firm has been great so far. I have gained some very valuable communication skills by answering the phones and greeting the clients. I have also become familiar with different accounting softwares that I otherwise would have never used. Most importantly, however, I have learned so much about individual tax returns and the process of completing them. I am currently taking Individual Taxation here at Isenberg and it has been really great to be able to take what I am learning in class and apply it to what I am doing in my internship. Furthermore, I am becoming more familiar with different tax forms at work, which is helping me to better understand the work I am doing in class.

WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR OTHER STUDENTS?

If you get the chance to do an internship, definitely take it. I am lucky enough to have an internship that directly relates to my major, but even if it were a stretch I would still take it. The best part about interning is that you get to be in a professional environment. Whatever it is you are doing, you will be able to learn from those who have made a career of it and those are the best mentors one could ask for. You will grow as a young professional and learn the ins and outs of the business world. Furthermore, interning is a great way to see what type of corporate cultures you like, versus those that you don’t think you could see yourself working in in the future. Overall, interning has been a great experience for me and I hope that more students get the chance to intern.