FDIC internship leads to job offer

October 17, 2023

DSU student Justice Forster has accepted a permanent position with the Federal Insurance Corporation (FDIC) upon his graduation in December. Forster spent the summer as an intern for the FDIC as part of the Financial Management Scholars Program.  

“This offer underscores his commitment and outstanding performance throughout his summer internship, along with his genuine enthusiasm for the banking industry,” said Dr. Yenling Chang, associate professor in the College of Business and Information Systems (BIS).

“My business coursework, in general, and my finance courses with Dr. Chang, in particular, were extremely helpful in preparing me to intern with the FDIC,” Forster said.

He was able to assist with on-site bank examinations, which primarily focused on completing assigned tasks pertaining to whatever CAMELS component was being reviewed as part of the examination.

“CAMELS are the factors used to rate financial institutions for Capital, Asset Quality, Management, Earnings, Liquidity, and Sensitivity to Market Risk,” he explained.

“I was able to gain direct experience by performing a number of duties and responsibilities assigned to the FDIC’s commissioned examiners,” he added.   

He was so deeply involved in the examinations as an intern that he got to prepare comments to be included in the reports of examination.

“This provided a strong feeling of value in my work, knowing that my effort was not only contributing to the progress of the examination, but that some of my work might end up in an official report as well,” he said.

His experience throughout the internship helped him understand the importance of learning time management to maintain a properly organized schedule. Additionally, he found the need for strong  analytical skills.

“It’s one thing to be able to have book knowledge, but having well-rounded analytical thinking skills is crucial to real-life situations in the workplace,” Forster said.

His experiences interning at the FDIC increased his interest in career possibilities in financial services and analytical-focused tasks.

Forster also encouraged students to explore internship opportunities through attending career and internship fairs, information sessions, and networking.

“Internships are unequivocally valuable to students as they prepare to enter the workforce,” he said. “Whether a potential employer is looking at your resume and notices applicable experience from an internship, or you end up working for the employer you interned with, they provided a strong, competitive advantage for post-graduation employment.”

Forster will be working as a Financial Institution Specialist in the Division of Risk Management Supervision at his assigned field office.