Interning In a Virtual World

When other companies scrapped their internship program due to COVID-19, Atlantic Bay continued its commitment.

We made a promise and knew how important it was to show up for the students interested in working with us. In the summer of 2020, we had 13 college students participate in our summer internship.

"We really try to give vast overview of everything our mortgage company entails. We expose them to a different departments from accounting and marketing to business development," says Thea Grice, National Business Development Specialist at Atlantic Bay. "We want to put them where their interests lie, but also get them outside of their comfort zone in hopes to add to education because they found something they learned with us intriguing."

These college students are acquiring degrees in different fields – some have the desire to work on Wall Street while some want to pursue law school. The benefit of interning with Atlantic Bay is these students are able to shadow specific individuals that will enhance and open their eyes to other parts of the business.

This program was designed for the students to learn all sides of the mortgage process from start to close.

“It’s not like they are going out and getting us coffee or running our errands. We would never ask them to do anything we don’t do daily or have done before,” Thea says.

A year unlike any other

Even though this year was unlike any other year due to COVID, Atlantic Bay worked hard to make sure everyone felt like they were interacting.

"We placed interns in different markets so that they could touch different cities not just Hampton Roads, but Charlotte, Atlanta, Roanoke, Charlottesville, Rehoboth Beach. It was important for them to learn outside areas, as well," Thea says.

Some students even reflected post-internship and said that going virtual helped them transition into their coursework going into the fall 2020 school year.

"Communication and confidence are key. In just about everything you do from sending an email to presenting a marketing proposal its extremely important to exude confidence to have your ideas and thoughts taken seriously," Thea says.

We’re lucky to provide such a learning experience for these students every year.

A few words from some of our 2020 interns

“One thing that I learned during my internship here was to be adaptable to situations as they change. This was one of the biggest lessons given the current environment in which we all had to transition to working online. Being adaptable is important in order to be flexible in certain situations and fill different roles when necessary. I also learned the importance of this skill in the mortgage industry in general because of the dynamic market that is constantly changing. Adaptability is the key to maintaining efficiency and improving the methods in which you get things done.” – Kate Kersey

“I would tell that you don’t want to sit back and not be engaged in the discussions that happen in your time at AB. In those meetings you have try and be active and connect with those people you work with and share your ideas. People will notice what you are bringing to the table and see your willingness to collaborate and work hard.” – Jack Graham

“The most exciting thing I’ve learned this internship for me was learning how to lock in a loan.” – Connor Holland

“I gained a lot of experience in public speaking which is something I have always been so nervous about. The nerves haven’t disappeared, but the words are coming more naturally and I have learned how to talk to an audience and build up a speech. These are great conversation skills for anyone to have!” – Erika Dowdy

If you’re interested in applying

Atlantic Bay offers summer internships to college students interested in learning all angles of the financial industry – from marketing to accounting and more. Each intern candidate goes through a three-part interview process with HR. Internship opportunities are usually posted online and on college boards as early as February.

If you know of anyone interested in interning for Atlantic Bay, keep an eye out on LinkedIn, Indeed, local college job boards or email us at: Intern2021@atlanticbay.com.