GW Global MBA alumna Maria Starr spent her summer interning with the World Bank Group’s Finance & Accounting Structured Finance team. The 11-week experience allowed her to apply classroom lessons to global markets while building new technical and professional skills. In this spotlight, she reflects on the challenges, growth, and impact of her internship.
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When I started my MBA at The George Washington University, I had one clear goal: develop my hard skills and define the path I truly wanted. The program pushed me to think in numbers and in systems, but also to connect details to the big picture—exactly the balance that energizes me. This summer at the World Bank Group HQ in Washington, DC was where it all clicked
Where markets meet missions.
On the World Bank Finance & Accounting Structured Finance team, I saw how a global institution actually manages their liquidity. I worked across the Bank’s liquid investment portfolio and learned the “why” behind the “what”: bonds, commodities, foreign exchange, and the derivatives that hedge risk—swaps, forwards, futures, and spot transactions—and how rebalancing and valuation decisions come together in practice. I wasn’t just reading about markets; I was inside the workflows that keep them running.
Scenes from the summer.
Some mornings started early on calls with our Chennai colleagues to align on deliverables, which included reconciliations, rebalancing, preparation of financial disclosure, among other urgent daily, weekly, and monthly tasks. Other days were heads-down: deep dives into financial statements to understand asset leveling; sharpening my Excel (hello, pivot tables and VLOOKUPS); pulling and analyzing market data in Bloomberg; and pressure-testing what I’d learned in class against real portfolio questions. A memorable opportunity was visiting the Treasury to watch the mechanics of instrument and commodity swaps unfold in real time. These moments turned abstract concepts into muscle memory.
The culture that tied it together.
Weekly speaker sessions opened doors to different units across the World Bank Group, and coffee chats turned into real relationships. What stood out wasn’t just expertise—it was shared curiosity and the sense that everyone here is committed to continuous learning and collective growth. Networking didn’t feel transactional; it felt like joining a community that cares about global impact and about each other.
How I grew (not just in size from all the subsidized food).
The biggest shift for me was learning to raise my hand even before I felt “ready.” Volunteering for stretch work, trusting myself to figure it out, and asking for help when needed made me agile, more confident, and more effective. That combination—initiative + humility—became my engine for learning.
What’s next?
This summer confirmed where I belong. Finance is the place where my strategic thinking, technical analysis, and love of big-picture problem solving meet real-world impact. I’m excited to keep building on this foundation in roles that sit at the intersection of markets, risk, and purpose.
“This summer made it clear—finance is where I belong.”
Thanks to the mentors and colleagues who shared their time, taught with patience, and made this a summer I’ll carry with me.