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Summer Internship: Edith Lorna Jepkirui '21

September 29, 2020
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Name: Edith Lorna Jepkirui
Class Year: 2021
Major: Mathematics
Hometown: Eldoret, Kenya

Internship Organization:
Job Title: Sales and Trading Summer Analyst
Location: Remote


What鈥檚 happening at your internship?

This summer, I was a sales and trading intern 鈥渟itting鈥 on the Equity Derivatives Trading desk at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. I spent the first three weeks of the internship in training where I learned about the various lines of business at BofA鈥攂usiness writing, accounting, data literacy, the markets鈥攁nd how to be successful in a virtual environment. 

When I hit the desk, I began networking with traders on the Single Name, Index, and Exotics desks under Equity Derivatives. I put time on people鈥檚 calendars and began learning about the products, product pricing strategies, client motivations, and product limitations. I also received book recommendations from my desk managers and began doing some self-study. I sent out end-of-day recaps to my managers every day with a list of questions that came up during my reading. Additionally, my desk conducted regular teach-ins to solidify our understanding of various options concepts including option payoffs and option Greeks. I attended markets meet-ups to learn about other desks across the firm and called in to meet-the-leader speaker sessions by various leaders in the firm. I also volunteered at the Smithsonian for six hours as part of the bank鈥檚 Environmental Social and Governance initiative.

I had a strong support system through my mentor, my cohort lead, my managers, and the team of interns at the Derivatives Trading Desk.     

Why did you apply for this internship?

I am passionate about the markets and I had a strong desire to learn about derivatives. Additionally, I have a strong quantitative background and the Derivatives Trading desk offered me a great opportunity to put my quantitative skills to use. 

Working remotely for the first time? What has that experience been like for you?

While I enjoyed the convenience of working six feet from my bed and wearing my 鈥淶oom shirt鈥 without any pants on, I had to be more intentional about setting boundaries to create a work-life balance. I spent a lot of time making calls and studying but I also stepped aside to connect with friends and family and get food to eat. I logged off work at the end of the workday and did not log on until morning.  

As a sales and trading intern, I found it quite inconvenient that I couldn鈥檛 sit next to a trader on the trading floor and ask questions. I also couldn鈥檛  see traders execute trades in real time and that took away from the internship experience as a whole. I was, however, able to place calls to traders whenever they had time and learn from them.

Can you give us three adjectives and three nouns that describe your internship experience?

Adjectives:

  • Intense
  • Challenging
  • Rewarding

Nouns:

  • Leadership
  • Growth
  • Technical Skills and Business Acumen

Visit the Summer 2020 Internships page to read more student stories.

Department of Mathematics