International MBA Program - Internship Web Journal

Moore School Web Site | International MBA (IMBA) Program | Prospective Students | Internship | 2008 Internship Web Journals

Tonisha Bell
IMBA Class of 2008
Bank of America, Charlotte, North Carolina
tonisha_bell@moore.sc.edu

Journal Entry #3 - July 3, 2007:

So much has happened over the last few weeks. Suddenly, everything has started happening so fast. The weeks are flying by. With six weeks completed and six weeks to go, I have done so many things and still have my two main projects to finish up.

Last week was by far the best week I’ve had. I went to New York City to meet the majority of my group and also to attend the Topping Off Ceremony, which celebrates the steel and construction workers for a job well done. The highlight of the ceremony was the raising of the last beam with a small tree attached to further show the Bank of America’s environmental commitment. Once completed, the tower at One Bryant Park will be the first Platinum LEED certified sky scraper. The environmental benefits include but are not limited to:

An on-site, 5 megawatt power plant producing clean energy from natural gas at 77 percent efficiency.
A thermal storage plant in the cellar with 44 large tanks used to make ice at night which will be melted during the day to supplement the air conditioning system.
A rainwater collection system that will collect all rainwater that falls on the roof, about four feet a year, and store it in four tanks staged throughout the building.
Waterless urinals that will save three million gallons of water a year.
Improved indoor air quality, which has been linked to better health and increased productivity in associates.
Under-floor air system which will provide individual air diffusers so associates can control the flow of air around their desks, eliminating the complaint of being too hot or too cold in the office.
Natural lighting featuring translucent floor-to-ceiling glass that contains heat and maximizes employees' exposure to the outdoors.

Since the Bank of America is committed to reducing its impact on the environment, Corporate Workplace decided to add an eco-friendly e-mail footer to the e-mail signature. Since I work in the innovation group, I was given the task to create the footer and communicate it to the associates. Here it is:

Think before you print and save a tree!

The Bank of America is a huge machine. There are over 15,000 associates in Charlotte keeping this machine on track. A few weeks ago I went on a tour of the bank where I saw the bank statement room where all statements in the Carolinas are printed and mailed out, the check routing room where people manually type in the routing numbers from each check received, and the rooms with generators and water tanks in case of emergencies. I also saw the ATM lab where a working model of every ATM across the USA is housed. I t’s used when an on-site technician is unable to fix an ATM, someone from the lab can walk him/her through it. I also visited the lab that monitors all the call centers and inclement weather conditions throughout the U.S. Soon, I will visit the innovation lab to find out all the cool stuff the bank has in store for customers.

Overall, everything is going well. The one issue I am having problems with is working alone. My manager works from home full time now since I am all settled in and 90% of my group is in NYC. Luckily, I have made friends with two associates whose cubes are near mine, so I am not totally missing out on human interaction. I am also keeping myself busy networking with associates from other lines of business.

Journal Entry #2 - June 11, 2007:

Since I have never worked in Corporate America, working at the Bank of America has been a little overwhelming. I started my internship with over 160 graduate and undergraduate students. I work in Corporate Workplace (CW) which is the corporate real estate group within the bank. My first week was a whirlwind of commotion; meeting my managers, learning about my group and our tasks and responsibilities, figuring out the thousands of acronyms within the bank, and finding my way around uptown Charlotte. Luckily, I live with two interns who are also interning within CW, so we are enjoying getting to know Charlotte and sharing stories and advice.

My group focuses on Project Management and Workplace Innovation within CW. Currently, our huge project is the new Bank of America Tower at One Bryant Park in NYC, which is under construction. We handle the coordination of the different teams working on the tower, i.e. Finance, Risk, Security, Technology, Brand, Human Resources, etc. We also handle all administrative functions around the project i.e. quarterly updates, finances, Web site, etc. I will take a trip to NYC to visit the tower and the rest of my group who work there. I am really excited to see the Tower because it will be Platinum LEED certified. My specific summer projects are built around the transfer of knowledge and best practices within CW. Soon, we will have a two-day Best Practices workshop. Thus far, I have been busy attending meetings, meeting people, and learning about CW. I have also taken classes in the banking industry, six sigma, and management by fact.

The coolest things I’ve encountered while working at the Bank of America are the flexibility within the company, the high levels of open-communication, and the constant learning opportunities. My managers are very communicative, respectful, and open. Oftentimes they ask my opinion and want to make sure I am enjoying my projects and daily activities. My direct manager is a participant in My Work, a program promoting and supporting flexible work. My Work uses technology, work practices, and a variety of environments to provide associates options on when and where to work. My manager and I primarily work from two locations in uptown. Every afternoon we decide where we will meet the next morning. Even though I have an assigned cube in one building, we like the diversity of working from different places on different days so that is exactly what we do.

Outside of work there is tons of stuff going on. There have been many activities going on in Charlotte since I moved here. The Bank of America corporate headquarters is located in the ever-growing uptown Charlotte area. Charlotte is also the home of the Lowe’s Motor Speedway, so NASCAR is huge here. Last week the streets were closed for Speed Street, where the streets were transformed into a showcase of motor sports with entertainment on three stages, appearances by top Nextel Cup Drivers, dynamic exhibits for all ages and an amazing assembly of NASCAR show cars and s imulators. This weekend was the Taste of Charlotte, the area's Largest Food Festival, where Charlotte’s finest restaurants served an array of culinary delights with music performances on the center stage. Needless to say, I have been keeping myself busy.

Journal Entry #1 - May 7, 2007:

Bell_002 My name is Tonisha Bell and I am from Charleston, SC. After graduating from Howard University, I lived in Kumamoto, Japan and taught English in Kikuyo Town for two years. I started traveling as a child with my parents. First it was just around the States and then around the World.

In the 8th grade, I traveled to Japan and fell in love with the country, the people, and the culture. When I found out about the opportunity to live and work there as an adult, I jumped at the chance. Living overseas challenged me to learn things about myself that I never knew. I was challenged to experience and understand a foreign culture, language, and way of living. Living in Japan exposed me to a culture very different from American culture. Simply having a conversation with someone was difficult, not only due to the language barrier, but also because of the indirect communication factor. After that experience, I knew I wanted to be involved in international relations of some sort. Since I graduated from college, I have been interested in business and entrepreneurship. Hence, my interest in the IMBA program at USC. I decided to do the Global track since I had recently returned from living overseas.

Bell_004 As part of the Global track, I took a course entitled Location and the success of multinational firms that ended last week. In this course, we studied the culture, geography, and local management practices of multinational companies in Ireland, Portugal, and Spain. We visited multinationals in the food, construction, manufacturing, and financial services sectors to establish cross-country and cross-industry commonalities and differences. Although our schedule was very aggressive, I had a great time and learned many things. In business school, we often do case studies about how managers deal with making decisions, satisfying the customer, shareholders, and workforce, and how they manage being multinational. Sitting in a classroom having a discussion or meeting with group members and doing research is much different from seeing a presentation from the CFO, asking questions of a senior manager, or interacting with the CEO over lunch. Although I enjoyed visiting all the companies, the most interesting to me was Group ACS, where we visited the largest waste management facility in Spain. Bell_001 I was impressed how the company turned various forms of waste into energy to sell to the electric company. The company also had extensive separating techniques which allowed them to recycle all glass, plastic, and metal waste. And, despite it being a waste management facility, the property was extremely clean. I also enjoyed Qimonda, a leading global supplier of DRAM memory products, where we dressed up in "space suits" to enter their clean rooms to view the manufacturing processes. The trip was really an eye opener for me. I realized the tremendous amount of opportunities out there for young businesswomen and men; Not only within existing companies, but also opportunities for new business ventures.

Bell_003 I am in the process of moving to Charlotte to begin my internship in Corporate Workplace at Bank of America. I chose Bank of America not only because it is the largest commercial bank in the United States, but because of the opportunities that exist within the bank. In my interviews, I was impressed that many of the people didn't start in Corporate Workplace. Instead, they moved around within the company, finding jobs that "fit." Some were previously in marketing, finance, or operations, but over time, their "fit" changed and they were able work in a new area and grow even more. As a young woman, this is good for me because everyday I learn more about myself, my interests, and what makes me happy. I am eager to put all the things I learned in my core courses to use. I have already started reviewing Excel again, just in case I need to do some decisional analysis.