Summer Intern Spotlight: Rishi Patel 27BBA at Eastdil Secured
Every summer, Goizueta Business School students from all programs step out of the classroom and into internships at companies around the world. These experiences are not just about gaining practical skills; they often lead to lasting memories, powerful insights, and sometimes even job offers.
In this series, we’ll highlight several students who completed exciting internships this summer, sharing their journeys, challenges, and triumphs. Stay tuned to discover the incredible work our students have been involved in and the valuable lessons they’ve learned along the way.
Here, we speak with Rishi Patel 27BBA, who interned this summer at Eastdil Secured.
Tell us a little about yourself and what interested you in pursuing this internship opportunity.
I am a rising senior and have spent the last few years at Goizueta experiencing the different aspects of business on campus. Coming from a family that was in the real estate development and management space, there was always a little voice in my head telling me to pursue that path; however, I wanted to explore all the different avenues while at Emory University. Through my time with organizations on campus, such as GIMG, EIIG, AKPsi, and the Robson Program, I realized I did have a passion for the real estate space. Real estate investment banking was the perfect mix of high-speed client-facing work with a foundation in real estate capital markets.
What are your primary responsibilities, and what does a typical day look like?
On the M&A team, the main responsibilities vary vastly on the day-to-day. Some days I will be sitting on calls with clients, while others I am helping build out a slide deck or parts of a model. The first couple of weeks were full of training on how to build RE-specific models, and from there I started building NAV models for my capstone. No two days are the same, which is one of the reasons I loved this past summer.
Can you share a project, assignment, or experience from the internship that has stood out to you?
My capstone project really stood out to me because I was able to complete an entire mandate over the course of the internship with the help of the team. I was assigned a publicly traded REIT, told to model its intrinsic value, pitch ways to provide them value, and model out the final decision. This was an incredible learning experience as I realized that there are lots of decisions that are not purely technical. Many judgement calls have to be made, and the ability to make the right one comes with time and experience.
What skills or knowledge from your Goizueta experience have you been able to apply in your role?
There are two main skills Goizueta gave me that were crucial to this role. The first is the ability to form an educated opinion on the markets. My supervisors don’t want me to regurgitate headlines I read on the news. They want me to synthesize the data from the articles and apply that to what I am currently working on. It is taking one step further and being able to predict how a new data point release will impact the projects we are working on. Secondly, communication was key. Being able to break down complex ideas into more manageable pieces and show them on slides is very difficult. Luckily, I had learned how to do this at Goizueta.
How has this internship influenced your career interests, and what advice would you give other students pursuing similar opportunities?
The internship was a phenomenal experience, and it confirmed that I want to stay at the intersection of real estate and transaction advisory. My advice is that you never know where an opportunity will come from, so treat every small task you’re given like it means something. Go in with a mindset of learning, put real effort into the small stuff, and let your work ethic shine because you never know who’s watching or where it leads.
Explore more exciting student internships and the experiences that shaped their summer! Discover more here.
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