If the most prestigious internships across the country were reserved for Ivy league students only, somebody ought to tell Le Moyne students.

On Sept. 25, senior Kara Cronin returned from New York City with a confident smile on her face. She had just interviewed for a paid summer internship at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLC. [PwC], one of the three biggest accounting firms in the U.S. Out of 25 students from prestigious colleges, including Yale, Cronin was the only representative from Le Moyne College, but that did not daunt her.

On the bus ride home the next day, she received a phone call from one of the company partners saying the internship was hers if she would take it. Cronin accepted immediately.

“It was a really great feeling because being able to utilize connections and networking of Le Moyne alumni to finally see my hard work recognized,” Cronin said. She explained that she was able to reach out to an alumnus currently working at PwC in order to be considered as a candidate, since the partnership does not typically pull from the Le Moyne populace. She was the only student from Le Moyne asked in to interview from thousands of applicants across the country.

Cronin said that she was nervous when she arrived at their New York office.

“I had to walk around their office building like five times because they tell you not to get there too early. It makes you seem over-anxious. The interview was at 8:30 a.m., and I got there at 8:05.”

Her day began by having breakfast with her fellow interviewees and quickly turned to an afternoon full of interviews. Everyone had to interview with a partner, a manager and a senior associate, Cronin said.

Her internship contract designates working in the assurance [information audit] department of PwC this coming summer, and she will receive final details during the spring semester. Though she would not state her pay rate, she did indicate that it was more than the average local internship.

“You’re never going to get an opportunity like this in Syracuse,” she said.

Cronin will join Le Moyne alumnus Bradley Canino at PwC. Canino [‘12], who graduated with an honors degree in accounting, currently works in the assurance department in the New York office.

“I’m really excited to move forward in this next step of my career and work in my dream job,” Cronin said.

She is not the only student on the right path to obtaining jobs through internships.

“We’ve seen a significant rise in the number of Le Moyne students participating in internships over the last 18 months,” said Patti Bevans, director of career advising and development. “Students are recognizing more and more the value of internships. Many companies consider first the students in their internship programs for entry-level positions. Last year, more than 150 students completed internships.” She added that Le Moyne graduates who have internship experience are generally employed quicker after graduation than those who do not.

More information on internship opportunities can be found at the office of career advising and development in Reilly 334 or at the office’s page on lemoyne.edu