A Reflection by Minoti Dhanaraj
In one week, I will hit my three-year anniversary at the Pension Boards. Half that time was spent coming into the office five days a week and the other half has been fully remote. The unprecedented hardships that the pandemic has caused in our country and around the world have made me realize how fortunate I am to have a strong support system from my family and the PBUCC team.
By Summer Intern Poojan Zalora
Prior to applying to the Pension Boards internship, I had no knowledge of the organization. However, throughout the interview process, I quickly realized this was a place I wanted to be. They have been so welcoming and are always wanting to help me in any way possible.
Throughout the internship, I had the opportunity to work on multiple projects and my manager made sure I was exposed to different areas of work, like the Accounting team. It was really good to see how interconnected all the different teams were. The Pension Boards is the definition of collaboration. Everyone knows how important it is to collaborate with one another.
By Summer Intern Krishika Jain
This summer, I got the opportunity to intern at the Pension Boards-United Church of Christ (PBUCC) as an Information Technology (IT) intern. The one thing that drew me to this internship is how the organization operates at the intersection of faith and finance. I enjoyed working here and gained valuable experience that will be useful in my personal and professional life. I would like to thank the Pension Boards for this incredible experience.
By Summer Intern Madeleine Lessard
This summer, I had the opportunity to intern with the Pension Boards’ Investments team. It was truly an amazing experience, and I was able to learn so much about the organization and what it takes to be successful in investments.
The main project I was assigned to was helping to develop metrics that showed the impact of our new best-in-class Sustainable Balanced Fund on various environmental, social, and governance factors. I did so by analyzing our external investment managers and identifying their key portfolio exposures to different sustainability risks.
The Rev. Elena Larssen became the new Minister for Volunteer Engagement for the United Church of Christ in May 2021, following eight years of service as Senior Minister of First Congregational Church of Long Beach, California. She also serves Vice President of the United Church Board for Ministerial Assistance (UCBMA).
How would you describe your role at the UCMBA?
I have served as a UCBMA director since 2010 and was asked to join the board at the time of the formation of Next Generation Leadership Initiative (NGLI). I’ve been engaged in strategic planning, the capital campaign, extensive leadership development and program evaluation, and have served on the NGLI Steering and Selection Committee. One of the most important projects is being simply true to my place in the church, as one of the relatively small demographic population of clergy in their 40s.
By Summer Intern Rachel Jacobs
After a hard and long 2020, the importance of digital marketing and communications has grown exponentially, such as the use of social media to promote and market products like never before. Knowing this, I wanted to gain real-world experience outside the classroom in creating marketing materials, so I applied to the Pension Boards’ Summer Internship Program as a Communications and Marketing Intern with the hopes of doing just that. When I was offered the internship opportunity, I was ecstatic at the idea of expanding my skills and helping such a great organization come up with successful marketing campaigns.
By Summer Intern Marco Lima
A top priority at the Pension Boards since I joined the team as a Finance Intern has been to remain competitive in the industry. I am fortunate to have been able to contribute toward this goal that is helping to orient the Pension Boards toward a successful future.
I have been tasked with two primary objectives: first, to help create the marketing agenda for our newer investment products; and second, to integrate the firm’s investment accounting to a more efficient Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) program.
By Summer Intern Olivia Gong
The United States’ healthcare system is convoluted and complex, always changing and shifting in policies, regulations, and practices. As the world begins to slowly recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, I am continuously reminded of how the past year and a half has impacted all our lives. I am in awe of the medical and technological progressions that have been made but also intrigued by the performance of the stock market. Working as the Health Plans intern at the Pension Boards–United Church of Christ (PBUCC) has allowed me to further enrapture myself in the intersections of healthcare and economics during these uncertain times.
By Summer Intern Aidan Choi
This summer, I was delighted to accept the offer to serve as an Internal Audit Intern for the Pension Boards' 2021 Summer Internship Program. It was an excellent opportunity to learn about the organization's internal audit function. I have always dreamed about working as a future auditor, and this internship helped me gain real life experience, while also learning the importance of teamwork and working in a caring environment. The Pension Boards allowed me to use the auditing knowledge I gained in school such as understanding the firm and its structure before starting the substantive internal audit procedure.
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