Deloitte internship helps Costello student shape her future in consulting

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Interning at Deloitte was on Iman Chaudhry's radar ever since entering the Costello College of Business at George Mason University as a freshman and learning about the major firms in the area. As the president of the Mason Consulting Group, she's very tuned in to what's happening at Costello and the opportunities available.

Deloitte's discovery internship program students. Photo provided by Iman Chaudhry.

Deloitte's discovery internship program students. Photo provided by Iman Chaudhry.

Promoted heavily across campus, Deloitte's discovery internship program immediately caught Chaudhry's eye, especially because she had previously participated in a case competition with the firm.

"I always tell everyone that a cold application isn't usually enough," she says. "You have to be intentional about networking; it's really about building genuine relationships." She put the legwork in before ever submitting her application by networking with recruiters and partners at Deloitte, many of whom were Costello alumni. Because of her extensive networking, she felt few nerves as she began her internship, already familiar with many of the people working at the firm.

Joining about two dozen other students in the discovery internship program, Chaudhry was assigned to do strategy consulting work for a national security defense client. Mixed in with her rotations across different workflows, meetings, research tasks, and other deep work were plenty of opportunities to connect with senior leadership, as well as social events to bond with fellow interns.

"I always tell everyone that a cold application isn't usually enough," she says. "You have to be intentional about networking; it's really about building genuine relationships."

- Iman Chaudhry, Costello College of Business Student, Mason Consulting Group president

Even though she's only halfway through her undergraduate education, Chaudhry has pushed herself to take her academics and career development seriously. Working in small groups and presenting to audiences, both in the classroom and in her extracurriculars, prepared her for the intern work she did this past summer. She continues to be excited to see how the skills she developed in the classroom translate to the real world. "The tools may change, but the growth mindset remains the same."

Iman Chaudhry, Costello College of Business Student, Mason Consulting Group president at Deloitte's discovery internship program. Photo provided by Iman Chaudhry.

Witnessing how fast technology is evolving in the workplace has encouraged Chaudhry to pursue more courses in ethics and AI and other emerging tools. Interning at Deloitte has also made her contemplate the specific field of consulting that she wants to pursue in the future. "I had a lot of fun this summer, and it's given me a lot to think about where I want to take my career," she reflects.

In the shorter term, Chaudhry is eager to leverage her experiences to implement new ideas in operating and optimizing the consulting work she oversees as president of the Mason Consulting Group.

Iman Chaudhry found her discovery internship experience to be immensely educational, informing her about the areas she wants to study further and the career direction she wants to take. Still only a junior studying management information systems at Costello, she looks forward to future internships where she can continue to expand her knowledge and explore her career possibilities.