HeyMath! Scholar: George Igweta
I chose India for my internship for two reasons. 1) I wanted to experience life and the business atmosphere in one of the BRIC nations. 2) Heymath's project for financial modeling was very attractive because a) I wanted to gain expertise in financial modeling and preparing business plans and b) I have interests in improving education, especially for the unprivileged.
Like in any other new country, one has to make adjustments and the faster the better. My biggest adjustments were the food and the heat. I had an aversion for spicy foods but that had to change very fast! It was a rumbling transition. It is also quite impressive to witness how cars, autos, bikes, bicycles and pedestrians all mingle in the Chennai traffic without much conflict. I was very glad I did not have to drive. Like in my other international sojourns, I travelled to different cities to experience India firsthand. Mahabalipuram, Pondicherri, Auroville, Delhi and Agra to see the scenic Taj Mahal were some of my highlights. People are generally very cordial and pleasant. I was fortunate to find Fay, another long-term intern, who helped integrate me into the life and heartbeat of Chennai. Constant interactions with Prashant and other Heymath colleagues gave me a synopsis of Indian culture and practices. Thanks to the entire team for voting me the honorary tiger during the Onam festivities!
Heymath is a company to watch. The entire team is smart, dedicated and very collegial. The opportunities for Heymath products are opening up all over the English speaking world, which is quite large. The company leadership, being ex bankers, is detail focused and very pragmatic. My work experience in modeling, growth planning and Mathzones implementation was therefore extremely fruitful. Constant meetings with management to discuss projections and Harsh's fast responses on email made my internship very engaging. It was relatively fast and furious and at the end, I wish I could have stayed longer..
