Brayden Singer is a Junior at Wichita State University studying accounting and business analytics. He grew up in Williamsburg, Kansas, with a population of around 300 people. Singer’s no stranger to numbers, so here are a few on him: #1 in his class at West Franklin High School, it’s his second semester at WSU, and this is his first internship.

Singer received his associate degree in business administration from Butler County Community College, where he was awarded Honor of the Gold for maintaining a 4.0 GPA. When he came to WSU, he was trying to get his foot in the door of the accounting world with an internship.

“My first interview was really good, but they ended up going with another candidate,” Singer says. “But almost immediately, the Shocker Career Accelerator hooked me up for another interview that was successful. The rest is history.”

Singer is an intern who gets to do real work. He has the authority to speak with contractors if there's ever an issue with their invoice or if something doesn't balance. He also works with the Director of Operations to keep everything running smoothly.

“I do a lot of accounts payable, accounts receivable, prep work for financial statements we send to our parent company, and financial reporting,” Singer says. “My supervisor has delegated maybe 90% of cost tracking to me, so that’s been great. It’s nice to know she trusts my abilities. They’re not just asking me to do remedial tasks.”

In this position, Singer has had the chance to consider what he wants to do in his professional career. He’s not only exposed to private accounting within his role but also big data and auditing. He’s also learning things he can apply to coursework like forecasting principles and Excel shortcuts to complete his homework faster.

Overall, Singer says this position has solidified his decision to stay in the realm of accounting for his future career.

“I enjoy the opportunity to be in an internship through the Shocker Career Accelerator,” Singer says. “I am exponentially better off than before I first walked into my internship with 3S.” 

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Wichita State's applied learning program gives students hands-on, paid experience with industry partners, helping them build careers before graduation.

For more information, contact the Shocker Career Accelerator at (316) 978-3688, SCA@wichita.edu, or visit wichita.edu/Career. You can also stop by in person at the Marcus Welcome Center, Suite 139, on the Wichita State campus.