Summer Internship Spotlight: Angelina Cheung (B’26): Finance Intern at Levain Bakery

Each year, Georgetown McDonough 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 2023 Summer Internship Spotlight series.

Tell us about your summer internship.

I had the opportunity to intern at Levain Bakery in their corporate office in New York City, New York. I specifically worked in the finance and accounting team. It was such a fun and exciting time to be at Levain! During my internship, John Maguire, the new CEO, joined the company and Levain opened their first West Coast location in Los Angeles, California.These were both huge milestones that marked the beginning of an exciting, new chapter for Levain.

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

I am interested in pursuing a career in finance, so the opportunity to learn about the financial performance and operations of a business in the consumer industry was extremely interesting. Additionally, the semester prior to my internship, I took my first accounting course, Introduction to Accounting with Profession Petacchi, and it was so cool to draw connections from the knowledge I gained in the classroom and apply it in a real world setting. 

Plus, I have the biggest sweet tooth, so it made perfect sense that I interned at a company known for their iconic cookies. 

How did you find the internship? 

I found the internship through LinkedIn. 

What’s the most interesting or impactful thing you worked on during your internship?

As part of the onboarding process for the internship, I worked a shift at their bakery in NoHo. Having prior retail experience, it was fun to be on the ground again and engage with customers. NoHo is Levain Bakery’s busiest location, so it was extremely fast-paced but the team still maintained the highest level of care for their products and customers. I was able to leverage my experience at the bakery back at the corporate office. I gained a deeper understanding of the tasks I was responsible for,  such as processing vendor invoices and reconciling sales,and better recognized their significance to the health of the company. This newfound understanding was rewarding, and it gave me a sense of pride to be part of the finance team. 

What did a typical day look like? 

The internship was hybrid with three days in-person at the corporate office nicknamed the “Cookie Suite.” My days primarily consisted of the weekly tasks that I had to complete along with any ad hoc tasks that were assigned to me throughout the day. Everyone on the finance team was super friendly and always willing to help me out if I faced any difficulties. The end of the month was typically busier as I was helping out with the month-end close. And during my lunch break, the other interns and I would take advantage of the many diverse cuisines and restaurants nearby! 

What advice do you have for other students?

I would encourage other students to broaden their horizons in their internship search and research unique career paths that may be of interest to you. The business industry is host to so many cool opportunities—please don’t discount certain internships because they do not fall in line with a “traditional” internship.