Born into a family of accountants—his brother, sister, aunt, and uncle are all CPAs—math flowed through Yaakov’s genes, but Phibro is his first internship in the accounting field. “As everyone knows, the first one is the hardest to get,” he says. And just a fifteen-minute drive away from his home in Teaneck, the internship was “very convenient,” Yaakov adds.

At the internship, Yaakov is being trained in JD Edwards, an accounting system software. His daily responsibilities include updating and populating budget and forecast financial reporting models, performing account reconciliations on various balance sheet and income statement accounts, reviewing accounts payable invoices for accuracy, and inputting accounts-payable invoices into JD Edwards for payment. Between tasks, he checks employees’ purchase expense reports.

The senior plans to become a licensed CPA, although he’s not sure he wants to work in a big public accounting firm. “An accounting degree opens many doors in the business world in general, whether or not one plans on becoming a CPA.”

While Yaakov came to the internship with basic Excel skills that he’s using “pretty much daily, ”he’s learning most of what he needs to do onsite. “What I’m hoping to ultimately take away from the internship, besides the technical skills I’m learning, is why accountants enjoy doing what they do. This internship is definitely helping me achieve that, and I’m learning things about accounting and business not taught in class.”

He’s also getting a glimpse of what it’s like to work in an office environment. “I like working with the team at Phibro. I don’t feel over-pressured working there. I’m also getting my first experience doing some kind of accounting work, so I’m glad they gave me a chance.”

“They also treat me extremely well,” he adds.

Fast Stats: Yaakov graduated from MTA high school, then attended Torat Shraga in Bayit Vegan, before joining LCM.