What and where did you study before your Mountbatten internship?

BSc Visual Communication Design at San Francisco State University

What made you apply for the Mountbatten program?

After studying abroad in London, I wanted to return to the city but as a professional and Mountbatten was just what I was looking for.

Describe your sponsor company and your role within it.

I was placed as a Graduate Development Coordinator at HSBC’s London Headquarters. I worked within the Emerging Talent Team under Digital Business Services where we planned, executed and supported our various technology programs. They ranged from internships, apprenticeships to graduate programs.

What was the highlight/most memorable moment of your working experience during this year?

Inducting our graduates. It felt extremely rewarding actually seeing the new graduates join the company and enjoy their first few weeks as we got them prepared for their placement after working so hard for so long on all the preparations.

What was the social highlight/most memorable moment during this year?

Gaining lots of new friends through Mountbatten and even traveling to Spain with one of them!

Please share a little wisdom/philosophy that you acquired during your internship

Always believe in yourself! As the youngest in my team during my Mountbatten placement, and it being my first corporate experience, I found myself doubting my decisions and deliverables at times. However, I quickly realized I needed to stop this bad habit because although I put myself down, my team would convince me otherwise and provide me with a great amount of reassurance and guidance. Their support helped me immensely in shaping my confidence as a professional and made me realize that they always saw the best in me and my efforts, so why shouldn’t I?

Upon reflection, what do you consider has been the biggest impact of your Mountbatten year?

All of the connections I made in such a short time. My fellow Mountbatteners, my team at work, and all others I met along the way, truly helped me grow into the professional and social person I am today.

What happened after completing the year – what did you do next?

I was fortunate enough to be offered a job with HSBC, which is exactly what I did. After completion of the program, I enjoyed some time off back at home with my family and after a few months, I returned to work in London.

Where are you now in your working life and what do you do?

I’m fulfilling my role as a Graduate Development Advisor in HSBC UK and I’m really enjoying it! It’s lovely being back with my team and getting to work alongside them again. We’re currently in the final stages of our graduate induction planning and are getting ready to welcome the new cohort at the end of this month!

Do you have any future plans that you would like to realise & what are they (career & social)?

Professionally, I’m happy to continue within my role but I would like to branch out after some time and work a bit more within the design realm. From my background in design, I always had a special interest in branding so possibly something to do with that. On a personal level, I love to travel and since I’m back in the UK, my plan is to continue my European travels!

What would people be surprised to learn about you?

I was featured in The New York Times a few years ago! They were interviewing university students at the time for an article about how the pandemic had affected their uni experience and perspective on job hunting, and after doing some panels for Handshake, I was recommended to NYT for the feature!