Intern of the Week: Nardos Araya

Sun, 21 Sep 2025 23:41:31 -0400
intern, internoftheweek, umbc, umbcinternship

Name: Nardos Araya

Pronouns: she/her

Semester of Internship: Summer 2025

Major: Information Systems

Current Class Level: Senior

This semester I completed a(n)...: Internship

Internship, Co-op, or Research Site (Company/Organization Name): Morgan Stanley

Location of the Organization (City, State): Baltimore, MD

Title of position: Operations Analyst Intern

Tell us about your internship, co-op, or research opportunity, including your day-to-day responsibilities:

I interned at Morgan Stanley in the Baltimore office as an Operations Analyst Intern. During this internship, I worked alongside the Global Reconciliation Services team and was a team lead for a group project involving automating manual processes using various automation tools like Alteryx and Power BI. I also worked on documenting business requirements and reengineering business processes through automation and process-mapping.

Describe the process of obtaining your position. When did you hear of the position and submit your application?

I heard about this internship around the end of summer of 2024 and obtained this internship by first, making an appointment with the career center to help review and tailor my resume to the internship's job description. I also networked with full-time employees at Morgan Stanley that were previous interns and asked them how I can stand out in my application and my interview. After preparing my application, I submitted my application within 2 weeks.

What resources did you use to find your current experience?

UMBC Career Center, Networking events (UMBC Connects, Info Sessions, Arts With a Purpose, etc.), Alumni Networking, Student Organizations/Scholar Groups, LinkedIn or other social media

What have you enjoyed the most about your position and organization?

What I enjoyed most about interning at Morgan Stanley was learning alongside experienced professionals that I looked up to and receiving guidance from them on familiarizing myself with a corporate environment. Getting to know other interns from different schools and backgrounds was also a great opportunity that I appreciated the most because those connections I built are always going to be helpful for my future as I grow professionally. Additionally, getting to use skills that I learned in the classroom in a real-world environment where I'm given a project and I have the opportunity to create impact for the organization was very rewarding!

How do you believe you have made an impact through your work?

The automation project that I led was for a daily manual process that usually took 1008 hours to complete annually. By automating the daily manual process, I saved the company 750+ hours annually and eliminated manual error completely. The company can now spend more time on more crucial tasks at hand.

What advice would you give to another student who is seeking an internship or similar experience?

Advice I would give to another student seeking an internship would be to reach out alumni that works at the company and has the role that you're interested in and have them look at your resume and overall application. I would also suggest to network with students who just recently interned in your company of interest because their insights would be fresh in terms of what skills the company looks for, interview tips, etc.