Northwestern University Athletics
Emily Launer Trades Racing Suit for Business Suit
8/25/2015 11:00:00 AM | General, Women's Swimming and Diving, David G. Kabiller NU for Life Program
By Jen Yamin, Northwestern Fencing
Senior swimmer Emily Launer traded her racing suit for a business suit this summer, testing the waters of BMO Harris as a junior analyst intern. When the opportunity to intern with BMO Harris arose through the NU for Life program, Launer was eager to get her feet wet in the commercial banking industry, seeing an internship with BMO Harris as a perfect fit.
"They are a company that really wants to invest their time in student-athletes," Launer said. "Coming in I didn't know much about finance, accounting or banking. But the people there are willing to teach you and are very invested in your professional career, so I thought that was really special and unique."
In just the short time the student-athlete has been with the company, she's experienced their investment first hand. The company has provided multiple programs for interns to participate in, with subjects ranging from banking to professionalism.
"They spend a lot of time helping you understand banking and lending. I am learning so much through the programs they provide and the professionalism they teach you. The company even hosts etiquette classes for people to take."
Launer has found the goal of these programs particularly beneficial for her career development.
"[BMO Harris] is focused on making you a better employee and professional for the working world, not just with banking, but wherever you decide to work in the future," Launder said. "That is the kind of mentality that they want - to create a program that attracts talented people."
Aside from participation in the company's programs, Launer has been assigned a variety of tasks that have helped her gain even more exposure to the field.
"I've done a lot of industry reports because a lot of commercial banking is understanding the industry you are loaning to," the economics and political science major said.
In addition to tracking and reporting various industries, Launer has been working in Excel, updating portfolios and creating documents to track deals.
Launer notes that one of the most exciting and valuable aspects about working at BMO Harris is the people, who have gone above and beyond her expectations.
"The people have been absolutely wonderful. The group I'm working with is so great. They are really easy to talk to and are always willing to help me," she said.
Applying networking skills learned through the NU for Life program, Launer has taken advantage of the friendly culture.
"I've probably gone on 10 or 15 coffee meetings with people from all over the bank. I learned about what they have done throughout their careers and the progression of hierarchy in that area of the bank," she said.
Launer wasn't afraid to dive into questions beyond banking either.
"Many helped me learn about the interview process and some of the upper level management roles," Launer said. "As a female I wanted to know what barriers they experienced and how they managed all of their family commitments. I also asked a lot of timeline questions for getting an MBA."
Launer thanks the NU for Life Program not only for teaching her the skills to network, but also for propelling her towards the internship in the first place.
"The NU for Life Professional Bootcamp really transformed what I thought post-college would be like," Launer explains. "It taught me that pursuing a career is something I need to start thinking about now. Without NU for Life there is no way I would have received this internship nor would I have known how to go through the process," she said.
Launer is confident that her experience will benefit her future career. She finds that her newly attained knowledge of business culture as well as the versatility of the banking industry will be applicable to any profession.
"Banking is something that you can take anywhere. You are learning how to understand finances and credit. And, if you want to do anything in business, I think experience in banking industry is really helpful," Launer said.
Senior swimmer Emily Launer traded her racing suit for a business suit this summer, testing the waters of BMO Harris as a junior analyst intern. When the opportunity to intern with BMO Harris arose through the NU for Life program, Launer was eager to get her feet wet in the commercial banking industry, seeing an internship with BMO Harris as a perfect fit.
"They are a company that really wants to invest their time in student-athletes," Launer said. "Coming in I didn't know much about finance, accounting or banking. But the people there are willing to teach you and are very invested in your professional career, so I thought that was really special and unique."
In just the short time the student-athlete has been with the company, she's experienced their investment first hand. The company has provided multiple programs for interns to participate in, with subjects ranging from banking to professionalism.
"They spend a lot of time helping you understand banking and lending. I am learning so much through the programs they provide and the professionalism they teach you. The company even hosts etiquette classes for people to take."
Launer has found the goal of these programs particularly beneficial for her career development.
"[BMO Harris] is focused on making you a better employee and professional for the working world, not just with banking, but wherever you decide to work in the future," Launder said. "That is the kind of mentality that they want - to create a program that attracts talented people."
Aside from participation in the company's programs, Launer has been assigned a variety of tasks that have helped her gain even more exposure to the field.
"I've done a lot of industry reports because a lot of commercial banking is understanding the industry you are loaning to," the economics and political science major said.
In addition to tracking and reporting various industries, Launer has been working in Excel, updating portfolios and creating documents to track deals.
Launer notes that one of the most exciting and valuable aspects about working at BMO Harris is the people, who have gone above and beyond her expectations.
"The people have been absolutely wonderful. The group I'm working with is so great. They are really easy to talk to and are always willing to help me," she said.
Applying networking skills learned through the NU for Life program, Launer has taken advantage of the friendly culture.
"I've probably gone on 10 or 15 coffee meetings with people from all over the bank. I learned about what they have done throughout their careers and the progression of hierarchy in that area of the bank," she said.
Launer wasn't afraid to dive into questions beyond banking either.
"Many helped me learn about the interview process and some of the upper level management roles," Launer said. "As a female I wanted to know what barriers they experienced and how they managed all of their family commitments. I also asked a lot of timeline questions for getting an MBA."
Launer thanks the NU for Life Program not only for teaching her the skills to network, but also for propelling her towards the internship in the first place.
"The NU for Life Professional Bootcamp really transformed what I thought post-college would be like," Launer explains. "It taught me that pursuing a career is something I need to start thinking about now. Without NU for Life there is no way I would have received this internship nor would I have known how to go through the process," she said.
Launer is confident that her experience will benefit her future career. She finds that her newly attained knowledge of business culture as well as the versatility of the banking industry will be applicable to any profession.
"Banking is something that you can take anywhere. You are learning how to understand finances and credit. And, if you want to do anything in business, I think experience in banking industry is really helpful," Launer said.
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