Morgan Williamson, BS’28, grew up in the small, rural Indiana town of Hagerstown. After graduating high school in a class of 75 students, Morgan—who uses they/them pronouns—set their sights on Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business. Morgan was excited to expand their circle in the undergraduate program at Kelley Indianapolis.
“Kelley has a great reputation, especially for business. I chose Kelley Indy because of the location in downtown Indianapolis and the urban area,” Morgan said. “I wanted to go to a diverse college in a diverse city, and Indy was the closest and the most logical. Indianapolis is home to countless businesses, so I knew the career opportunities would be vast.”
Morgan’s career opportunities began right away. Having already joined a Kelley program called Business Connect, which helps first-year students build a community on campus. Through this program, Morgan heard about a new program at Kelley to connect Direct Admit students with internships. Business Plus offers first-year students the chance to apply for internships that begin during their second semester on campus, when most students can’t access these opportunities until junior or senior year.
This was an especially interesting opportunity for Morgan, who’d actually completed an accounting internship during high school. Having long recognized an interest and skill with numbers, Morgan was interested in pursuing an accounting career. They had an accounting internship at a local cooperative utility company during high school and was excited to continue the experiential learning.
“I was interested in Business Plus because of the hands-on experience that I would get through the internship,” Morgan said. “This early knowledge helps us know what to expect after we graduate college and move into the workplace full time. When I learned that Kelley offered freshmen internship opportunities, I knew I had to throw my hat in.”
Real-world tax experience
Morgan applied for a real estate tax internship at KSM accounting firm. Students in Business Plus prepare for the interview process together, and Morgan said it went extremely well. “I got an interview with Karen Hill at KSM. She made me feel so comfortable and she was so caring. My stress levels went down because she just wanted to have a conversation.”
Morgan began their internship in January, at the start of their second semester at the Kelley School. By going to work a few days a week at KSM, Morgan is learning what an accounting career is like and gaining business knowledge in tax. They’re also growing their professional network.
“KSM has done a phenomenal job making sure us interns feel welcome and that we matter,” Morgan said. “The employees really care about you. They want to see you succeed and want to help you along the way. Every time I leave a conversation with someone at KSM, they say, ‘I’m always here to help. My door is always open.’ That friendliness is really empowering.”
While Morgan hasn’t taken many accounting classes yet, interning at KSM is offering an up-close and realistic glimpse into real estate accounting and the concepts of individual, partnership, and S-Corp tax returns. Since the internship began in January and runs through April, Morgan is also getting to see the full breadth of tax busy season. Morgan says this helps interns connect what they’re learning in the classroom with what they see at on the job.
“I’m seeing both sides; the knowledge and conceptual side in the classroom, and then how to apply it at KSM on the tax side. It makes it easier to see the whole picture,” Morgan said. “I can take the real-world application and apply it to the textbook concepts, and vice versa.”
Planning for the future
While balancing a full class schedule with a part-time internship has taught Morgan a lot about flexibility and time management. They’re also finding time to explore activities on campus. Morgan has attended business events, LGBTQIA+ events, and APIDA (Asian Pacific Islander Desi American) events and plans to continue exploring student organizations next year.
One thing Morgan has made time for is networking. One piece of advice they’d give incoming first-year students is to ask for help when you need it. You may never realize how one connection will lead to another and build momentum for the career ahead.
“Ask for favors. Most people are willing to sit down with you and go over your resume or help you practice for interviews. This way, you’re connecting with potential employers and maintaining relationships,” Morgan said. “For example, I met Lolita Chandler, the CEO and founder of Guidenar, in the fall semester when she spoke at a Business Connect event. I reached out to her during the internship interview process and asked if she could help me prepare. She gave me some great advice. Be sure to reach out to your network—they can really help you move forward in your career.”
Though Morgan has expanded their network dramatically from where it was when they walked onto campus eight months ago, it’s only the start. Morgan wants to continue to explore and meet new, diverse groups of people. Morgan has attended a social justice symposium on campus, the Harvey Milk Dinner in October, a seminar on the Vietnamese education system, and they’re preparing for a two-week study abroad trip to Japan through the Kelley School. Morgan started strong at Kelley and plans to continue the momentum.
“I’ve had so many opportunities, and I’ve embraced it. I just want to get my hands on everything. My plan for next year is to obtain a full-time spring audit internship,” Morgan said. “Kelley has given me so many opportunities as a freshman, I’m excited to where this leads me in my future.”
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