Rukiat, a student at Harris Garrard Academy in London, completed her paid internship at HSBC Innovation Banking. With this new experience under her belt, and support from mentor Alex at Aviva, she’s looking for a career where she can make a difference. This is her story.
London student Rukiat Adeyemi describes herself as “a confident person with a positive attitude towards anything life throws at me,” so when the opportunity to take part in Career Ready came up, she jumped at the chance.
“I like to try new things, and I’m always ready to learn new skills.” she adds.
“After Career Ready, I’ve learnt how to present myself to employers and what to expect in a working environment, while also being myself 100% of the time because recruiters want to hire authentic professionals.”
Gaining an insight to work
Rukiat’s four-week paid internship with HSBC Innovation Banking gave her useful insights into the world of work.
“From the workshops – learning what employers look for when recruiting individuals – to the many networking catchups I had with colleagues, I was able to gain a wealth of knowledge,” she says.
“During my second week, I was part of the climate tech team. One thing that really stood out to me about climate technology is how HSBC is indirectly helping society by being able to provide debt to companies that aim to make a difference to society.
“This is something I would love to be a part of, as it would make me feel proud and fulfilled every single day.”
During the internships, HSBC Innovation Banking runs a Dragon’s Den style competition, where Career Ready students are invited to create and pitch their own start-ups.
“I’m thrilled to say that I took part with my fellow intern Charlotte – and we managed to come in first place with our app idea, which was called ‘In Uni’.
“Overall, it was an amazing experience that I would recommend to anyone who is interested in banking or just trying to figure out what they are interested in.”
Changing the world for the better
After her internship, Rukiat has discovered some new interests which have sparked ideas for her future.
“I feel like this internship has made me understand that I want to be part of changing the world we live in for the better,” she says.
“I’ve become a presentation enthusiast, with so much confidence when it comes to researching a topic and presenting or speaking about my findings to educate others on serious topics that can result in a change.
“I’ve gained a new interest for venture capital and participated in a VC course over the summer. It was amazing as I am always looking for ways to learn new things that spark an interest within me.”
Exploring career paths
With her mentor Alex Ieri, a Portfolio Manager at Aviva, Rukiat has also been able to explore different options for entering the working world.
“It was really useful hearing Alex’s journey and how he navigated his career,” she says.
“Helping me network has helped me strengthen my skills which can be applied in my work life in future and as we all know your network is your net worth!”
Next steps
“Currently I am trying to get the best grades I possibly can in my A levels,” says Rukiat. “I’ll probably take a gap year to figure out what my life calling is, and how I can make a difference to the world through work.
“My plan is to one day own a skincare brand. The internship at HSBC has taught me how banks can invest and provide debt to early-stage companies to help them achieve their goals.
“Career Ready opens your eyes to the world of work and how to build your professional brand, it also allows you to have access to network with people in high positions and understand how and why they got to where they are now.”
