Summer Internship Spotlight: David MacKinnon, (MSF’22): Bank of America

Each year, our students spend their summers in Washington, D.C., across the nation, and around the world working in corporate, nonprofit, and government organizations. Meet a few of our graduate and undergraduate students in our 2021 Summer Internship Spotlight series.

David MacKinnon, (MSF’22)

Summer Analyst, Bank of America

Tell us about your summer.

This summer I worked as a Wealth Management Summer Analyst at Bank of America in NYC (due to COVID-19 concerns the internship was hosted remotely). I was in the Investment Solutions Group (ISG) where I worked on the Chief Investment Office (CIO) Due Diligence team. It was a total of 10 weeks where the first 4 weeks comprised of orientation and training. After training concluded, we began working with our line of business. As part of the program we conducted a project similar to a capstone project in concept. We then presented our findings to Bank of America leaders and hosted a Q&A following our presentation. I also had the opportunity to present my findings to the entire Due Diligence team. I directly worked with the Sustainable/ESG CIO Due Diligence team and gained exposure to the CIO Due Diligence Hedge Fund and CIO Due Diligence Equities team. I also worked with a team covering thematic portfolios. 

In addition to professional work during my internship, BofA gave us amazing volunteer opportunities. First we were able to volunteer with the Smithsonian Museum where we helped by transcribing historical written pieces assisting in the digitalization process. We also had the chance to work with the Imbeleko Foundation. Working with this organization was one of the most rewarding things I did this summer. The foundation is based in a village called KwanNyuswa located in South Africa. As a part of the program we were mentors to students in this organization. My mentee was an incredibly bright high school student who was looking to pursue psychology at University. I was able to act as a resource as well as provide advice on transitioning from high school to University. Her life story was eye opening and I truly learned so much from making this connection! Also a couple other fun opportunities BofA made available to us was hearing from two Broadway performers, and we even got to be a part of a virtual tour of Dodgers Stadium. 

Outside of my internship I spent my free time fly fishing (a passion of mine), golfing, and spending time with friends and family. 

How did your internship relate to your professional or personal interests?

Professionally I have always enjoyed working in the capital markets as they continuously capture my curiosity by being fast paced and ever-changing. In the past, I have experienced the capital markets at boutique and middle market firms. This summer however it was a goal of mine to experience working at a bulge bracket firm. I felt the training and experiences I was given during my time at BofA were invaluable in my career development. My dream job is to become a portfolio manager so this opportunity gave me a lot of exposure to portfolio managers as well as the strategies they use. I was able to look at fundamental, as well as quantitative strategies, first hand. This opportunity also gave me a chance to experience the culture of a larger firm, which I must say BofA has an amazing supportive culture!

It was also important to me to be in an internship program that the firm was looking to hire full-time from. I am extremely happy to say that I did receive and accept a full time offer and will be launching my career with BofA post graduation from Georgetown.

All and all I felt this summer opportunity related perfectly to my goal of one day becoming a portfolio manager. Additionally, it gave me first hand experience working at a bulge bracket bank and provided me with endless resources and connections to further my career and give back.

How did you find the internship?

I found this internship on Georgetown’s Handshake in addition to learning more about it from attending the MSF in NYC event. 

What’s the most interesting or impactful thing you did or worked on?

Professionally the most impactful thing I worked on this summer with BofA was a proprietary project. I conducted an in depth data analysis on data collected from investment strategies offered on the platform. I then presented my findings to the entire Due Diligence team. My findings/suggestions were used to update the project / help other CIO Due Diligence analysts in their coverage of investment strategies on BofA’s investment platform.

Personally the most impactful thing I participated in while at Bank of America not related to my direct line of business was working with the Imbeleko Foundation. As I mentioned above, this experience was absolutely one of the most rewarding things I have ever been a part of. 

Was your internship adjusted because of COVID-19? 

Yes. Due to COVID-19 the internship was conducted virtually. I do think it was very well executed and we made the best of the virtual environment. 

What did a typical day look like?

My typical day consisted of working on projects, networking, internship program events, presentations, and market update calls. There was also some ad hoc things that would pop up. 

Any advice for other students?

Be curious in everything you do! You will learn and grow so much in your professional as well as personal life by doing so.