Wealth and Investment Management InternAt — Sapere Aude Consortium Inc

The Sapere Aude Consortium internship is a nine-week program for “rising” juniors and sophomores interested in financial services, specifically investment and wealth management. The program is for first generation college students and children of public servants and is designed to prepare students to compete for and gain “rising senior” internships with investment and wealth management firms. The internship is virtual over Microsoft Teams, providing students with flexibility on living arrangements. Although the internships are unpaid, Sapere Aude provides a package of career and educational benefits and also assists interns in accessing grants or class credit available for nonprofit research. The program is designed to be approximately 25-30 hours per week, giving students time for paid jobs or summer athletic training.

The Program is composed of three pillars: Research, Education and Mentorship.  Research: the interns conduct original research on topics of current significance to investment and wealth managers. The research will be conducted in teams of four, and each team will create an Opinion Snapshot which expresses their opinion – from the perspective of this generation of students. We expect this segment to take approximately 17 to 20 hours per week. Education: focused on Industry, Professional and Personal knowledge – with expert faculty from the industry and academia. We will have a full week of industry education to start the Program; during the program, we provide an additional two hours per week professional and personal education. Mentorship. the key to our program, each student will have five hours a week, including 1:1 time with their Mentor, to focus on seeking an internship for the following summer.  This includes work on their resume, personal statement, applications and interview preparation.   

Tasks:

The student intern will engage in the following professional and pre-professional tasks, all of which are designed to support the development of critical thinking, applied research, professional communication, and industry awareness:

1. Collaborative Research and Analysis:
Work as part of a five-person research team to explore a topic relevant to wealth and investment management (e.g., technological disruption, ESG investing, generational wealth transfer). Conduct literature reviews, synthesize findings, and apply financial and economic frameworks.

2. Written Deliverables:
Contribute to the drafting of a team-authored white paper and individual opinion snapshot, both of which are reviewed and edited in accordance with the Sapere Aude Style Guide. These deliverables demonstrate the intern's ability to communicate complex ideas clearly and persuasively to a professional audience.

3. Mentor-Guided Project Development:
Participate in weekly mentor meetings to receive critical feedback, revise work, and refine the scope and direction of the research. This process simulates professional supervisory relationships and fosters iterative learning.

4. Professional Presentations:
Prepare and deliver a portion of the team’s findings during Capstone Day, a public-facing event attended by professionals, educators, and peers. Interns will practice and revise presentations based on feedback from program directors and mentors.

5.Industry Exposure and Reflection:
Attend weekly speaker sessions with leaders in finance, policy, and philanthropy. Submit short reflections on how these insights inform the intern’s understanding of industry pathways and professional identity, especially as a first-generation college student or member of an underrepresented group.

6. Career and Professional Development:
Build a professional LinkedIn profile, write a personal bio, and participate in workshops that focus on networking, interviewing, and navigating workplace culture.

Training:

1 Initial Orientation and Education Week:
All interns participate in a comprehensive education sessions during the first week, which includes an overview of the financial services industry, expectations for the internship, team structure, deliverables, and ethical considerations in professional environments.
2Weekly One-on-One Mentor Meetings:
Each student is assigned a professional mentor (from the financial services or nonprofit sector), with whom they meet weekly to receive individualized guidance, discuss project progress, reflect on learning outcomes, and explore career pathways.
3 Skills Workshops and Speaker Series:
Students attend weekly sessions led by senior professionals and educators covering topics such as investment fundamentals, research and writing techniques, LinkedIn presence, data analysis, storytelling with impact, and public speaking.
4 Team-Based Learning and Job Shadowing:
Interns work in research teams of five, under the guidance of three mentors per team. This collaborative structure simulates professional team dynamics and includes exposure to how industry professionals approach problems and make decisions.
5 Project Contextualization and Literature Reviews:
Students are provided with curated background readings, sample research papers, and writing guides (including the proprietary Sapere Aude Style Guide) to help them produce industry-relevant work. They also receive coaching on how to frame and present their research to a public audience.
6 Capstone Presentation Preparation:
In the final weeks, students receive training in presentation development and delivery as they prepare for a public Capstone Day event. This includes feedback loops with directors and mentors to refine both content and presentation style.

Learning Outcome:

By the end of the academic internship, the student will be able to:

1. Conduct independent and collaborative research** on complex topics relevant to the financial services industry, producing written work that demonstrates critical thinking, analytical rigor, and effective communication.

2. Apply knowledge of economics, finance, and public policy** to real-world problems, especially those affecting underserved populations, through team-based projects and mentor-guided inquiry.

3. Present professional findings and recommendations** to a public audience, receiving and incorporating feedback from industry leaders, educators, and peers.

4. Demonstrate an understanding of career pathways in investment and wealth management**, including the skills, responsibilities, and ethical considerations involved in those roles.

5.Reflect on their personal and professional growth**, articulating how the internship shaped their goals, confidence, and understanding of how first-generation students can thrive in competitive industries.