Mathew's Bright Network Virtual Internship Success

Posted on: 25 June 2026 by Richard Finch in Student experiences

As part of our commitment to celebrating student achievement, we caught up Matthew Shepard, a first-year Accounting and Finance student from the University of Liverpool’s Management School, following his completion of Bright Network’s Finance, Professional Services and Consulting Virtual Internship.

Here's what Mathew had to say about the experience:

Congratulations on completing the internship! What motivated you to take part?

Thank you! As a first-year student, I wanted to start building my commercial awareness early. I’ve been regularly attending ULMS Extra sessions with firms like BDO, PwC, and RSM, so the Bright Network internship felt like a natural next step to deepen my understanding of the industry. Furthermore, this opportunity coincides with the beginning of the advertising of placements for the 2027-28 Academic Year. As a result, I wanted to gain a further insight into what careers could be available to me.

What stood out as the most exciting part of the programme?

I’d say that being selected for Bright Network’s VIP Top 50 networking session with Bank of America was definitely a highlight. In addition to learning more about Bank of America’s recruiting processes, it was great to engage directly with professionals and learn about areas like Capital Markets and Global Market Risk. The key message that stayed with me was the importance of intellectual curiosity, and being able to connect your skills and interests with the work organisations do.

What skills did you develop during the internship?

I strengthened several key skills, particularly critical analysis, written communication, and consulting thinking through the Sector Skills Project. Furthermore, completing a self-assessment and peer review also helped me reflect on how to improve, especially in structuring my work more clearly.

I also gained valuable insight into effective use of AI, learning how to structure prompts carefully while being mindful of accuracy and ethical considerations.

How has this experience shaped your career goals?

It’s given me a clearer idea of the different career paths within finance and consulting, and what employers are looking for. Alongside technical knowledge, I’ve realised how important soft skills like communication, professionalism, and teamwork are. It’s also encouraged me to further develop my digital literacy, particularly with AI, ahead of applying for placements in 2027–28.

What advice would you give to other students considering similar opportunities?

No matter what stage of study you are at, I would suggest to just get involved. Get involved with every possible opportunity that you know you would enjoy, even if the role’s name seems intimidating at first, or if you don’t think you have the experience yet. It does not even have to be an opportunity related to your degree. As long as you take on opportunities you enjoy and even make a small impact in them, you can use your transferrable skills to demonstrate why and how you’re the ideal candidate for internships, placements or graduate roles. Plus, you don’t need to wait until you’ve built up your academic knowledge to get involved!

Furthermore, you should always continue to stay curious and to never underestimate the power of networking. All it takes is for one conversation about a career to turn into a big opportunity. If I hadn’t been reflecting on this internship and the skills I should continue to develop every day, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to be part of the VIP Top 50 event with Bank of America.


From the Careers & Employability Team

We’re incredibly proud to see our students proactively engaging with opportunities like Bright Network. Experiences like these highlight the value of building skills, confidence and professional networks early on.

If you’re interested in gaining similar experience, we encourage you to get in touch with the Careers Team to explore opportunities available to you. You can also discover a range of resources and tools to support your development in the Digital Tools section of our website.