Hi there! My name is Allison Ezbiansky and I have worked as a Valuation intern at GYF since January 2023. I am an Accounting and Finance dual major at Robert Morris University, and I am starting my senior year this upcoming fall. A little background on me… I am from York, Pa and I am the active President of Zeta Tau Alpha – Iota Alpha at RMU. Additionally, I am a First Year Seminar Teacher’s Assistant, a Global Ambassador (mentor) for the foreign exchange program on RMU’s campus, and the Vice President of the Honor’s College. I love being involved and could not imagine my life if I were not.
During the spring semester of my sophomore year, I was taking a pilot class for accounting students to learn about technology and careers in the field. There, I met Carissa Park and Logan Nawrocki. Logan, at the time, was an analyst in the Valuation group and Carissa was the campus recruiter. As soon as Logan started explaining what Valuation was and his daily responsibilities, I finally knew what I wanted out of both of my degrees. Taking a shot in the dark, I introduced myself, and a year later I was the new intern in GYF’s valuation group.
At GYF on my very first day, I was trusted with client work. The team gave the rundown of basic valuation knowledge, and I was assured that I could always ask questions and request help when I needed it. I was encouraged to work with a “try it out” mentality and told not to be afraid to push myself to learn something new. Working in this group made me feel very comfortable sharing my ideas for approaching something differently or suggesting ways that I could complete the work using new tools and technology. I LOVED THAT. I thrived in that environment.
The valuation group is small, so it truly feels like being part of a family. I turned 21 about a month into my internship. My co-workers took me out to lunch, and when I came back, the sweetest, most thoughtful card from the whole team was on my desk waiting for me. There are not many places where you can find a family like that, let alone have an opportunity to collaborate directly with a partner who is absolutely my professional role model. The partner and a senior manager in my group not only provide mentorship for my career, but they genuinely care about ME as a person. I do not feel like I am overlooked or that I have surface-level conversations.
To me, those personal connections are the best part about working at GYF
Let’s not forget the opportunities I have been given in this group. I was asked to moderate a Continuing Legal Education webinar for the group. Attorneys, business owners, and government officials all attended this virtual conference. I was also encouraged to take the initiative to revamp our entire modeling system so that it was more efficient for the team. The day I presented my ideas to the group, I was in awe of the sheer respect and attention I was given at that very moment. Chances like these for me to develop professionally make me feel like I am a colleague, rather than an intern.
GYF has also allowed me to help with marketing and recruiting, which I am passionate about. As the president of a sorority, PR and recruiting is something that is constantly on my mind, and I have moved that passion to my work. I have helped work on creating more opportunities for the interns to appear on the firm’s social media accounts. I am going to start to work directly with the marketing team to help teach the interns fun but professional ways they can make their social media presence stronger. I also have been given an opportunity at school to talk in front of my peers about my internship in hopes they will apply for a position at the firm.
If I had any advice to someone looking to intern at the firm, I would say to be bold. I would have never gotten this internship if I did not introduce myself to two strangers that day. Also, never be afraid to fail or ask questions. GYF does not expect you to know every single thing when you first start out, but it speaks wonders to your character if you can learn from your failures and learn it with grace.
All in all, GYF is an amazing place to work. I am someone who needs to feel like I am valued and supported to achieve anything I put my mind to. The nurturing, family-like culture at GYF gives me the foundation I need to succeed.
