This summer, I returned to PwC as a Cybersecurity Strategy, Risk, and Compliance intern at the LA office! I was there last summer as a Start intern, and I came back again as an Advance. It was a summer of new experiences, from client work to building an AI bot, and meeting a ton of new people!
The internship kicked off with a two-day consulting intern training in San Francisco. I met up with other interns from across the West Coast and learned the essential skills I’d need for the next several weeks. It was a good introduction to the consulting world and the culture at PwC.
My client teams were awesome. I worked on NIST 2.0 assessments for companies in the insurance and entertainment industries. For those who aren’t familiar, a NIST 2.0 assessment involves evaluating an organization’s cybersecurity practices against a set of standards and guidelines developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. It’s basically a way to help companies identify weaknesses and improve their overall security. My manager and the associate I worked the closest with were great! They were always willing to mentor me and answer my questions, and I felt like they treated me as an associate, not an intern who should only do busywork. I appreciated that my work felt meaningful, and I felt like I was contributing something important to my engagements.
On top of the client work, I also worked with two other interns to build an AI agent using the Langflow platform. I’d never used Langflow before, but creating a cybersecurity incident response documentation bot was a really rewarding experience. I even got the opportunity to present my work to a partner who is spearheading the use of AI in cybersecurity consulting at PwC!
Beyond the work, there were plenty of opportunities to meet people. Even though my team was virtual, I went into the office a few times a week. PwC also organized fun intern events like bowling and networking brunches. Every year, PwC celebrates the people who got promoted. This year, the LA and OC offices celebrated at the Coliseum! It was really cool to get a tour of the exclusive places inside the Coli and meet SoCal PwCers.
The biggest highlight came at the end of the internship. I received a return offer for a full-time role, and to celebrate, PwC flew all the interns with offers to Orlando, Florida! The entire Disney Coronado Springs resort was filled with interns from audit, tax, and advisory. We had a party night with the DJ duo Two Friends and got to explore Hollywood Studios and Disney Springs. There was delicious food, super fun wellness events, and a chance to meet interns from all over the country.
I’m incredibly grateful for this opportunity and the experience I had this summer. I’m looking forward to finishing up at Viterbi and heading back to PwC to start my career in cybersecurity!!
