Dixon Simmons.
Cobbs Allen, located in Mountain Brook, recently revamped its summer intern program, specifically aiming to promote real-world learning and prepare students for the complexity of the workplace rather than focus solely on book learning.
“Internships are important to me because they give invaluable real-world experience by giving you a taste of what day-to-day life looks like in the workplace,” said Dixon Simmons, a Cobbs Allen summer intern and Auburn University student from Homewood. “They are also important because they give you daily opportunities to network with professionals of many different backgrounds.”
Each intern was paired with a mentor—a senior-level leader in the organization—with whom they met weekly to gain technical and professional guidance on navigating and excelling in the workplace.
Auburn University alumnus and Cobbs Allen Chief Financial Officer Grantland Rice IV served as mentor for Simmons during the 8-week program. “As an accounting major, I gained perspective on public accounting through my internship at Sellers Richardson (now RSM),” Rice said. “At Cobbs Allen, we want to provide something similar for other business students. Our interns spend time with all of our business segments and see firsthand the rewarding experience of helping clients more effectively manage their various business risks.”
New to the intern program this summer was a weekly Team Challenge. This task allowed interns to compete in teams against one another while fostering morale, opening dialogue about shared successes and losses, and promoting accountability.
It is Cobbs Allen’s hope that this restructured internship program will lend real-world experience to participants like Simmons, better preparing them to enter the workforce upon their college graduation.
-Submitted by Cobbs Allen.
