Flagstone hired our first intern, Riya Pandey, earlier this summer and we certainly made a good choice. In our initial meeting with Riya we immediately noticed her enthusiasm, strong desire to learn and her entrepreneurial spirit. We were also impressed with the variety of educational, volunteer and travel experiences she has had. She had a skillset that we felt would complement the existing team nicely and she would be able to help us accomplish many of the goals Flagstone has set for 2018. Please read a little more about her, from Riya herself…

“My name is Riya Pandey and I am an international student from Kathmandu, Nepal. Currently, I am a senior studying actuarial science in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. My estimated graduation date is May, 2019. I came to Lincoln, Nebraska in the winter of 2014, along with my twin sister. Playing the guitar and singing is one of my favorite hobbies. I love playing soccer, going on camping trips and hiking. I love to travel as well. At UNL, I am currently a resident assistant. Through this position, I have gained the ultimate leadership experience, ability to work in a team and strong communication skills. I love meeting new people and making new friends.

Since the start of summer, I have been working as a financial planning intern at Flagstone Financial Management, in Lincoln, NE. Through this internship, I work with the Director of Financial Planning to integrate software for each client file to streamline financial data entry process. I have learned about the comprehensive financial planning process and the software used to assist with creating plans. I have gained a lot of knowledge about the stock market, bonds, mutual funds, etc. Greeting clients has improved my communication skills and I’ve enjoyed the learning experience of sitting in on occasional client meetings.

Getting the chance to work in an office environment, I observe how others operate. I realize there is a professional way to do everything – how to write an email, answer a telephone or shake hands. While observing the people I work with, I learned about office behavior and etiquette which will really help me in my first full-fledged job. I have been able to use my mathematical and computer skills, and apply it in my internship. I learned and used different techniques in excel and different software programs and also made connections with my supervisors, which will help me a lot in the future. In conclusion, I loved the company culture here, and I was always excited to go to work every day.”

Education is one of our core values and so it seemed natural that hiring an intern would be a great thing for Flagstone. It’s been a two-way street – we are glad Riya has been able to learn so much about what we do and are thankful for her hard work and dedication to this position. Perhaps you’ve met Riya if you have been to the office recently but if not, we hope she gets the chance to say hello to you soon!