We are delighted to welcome our newest intern, Stephen Lucas, who has been assisting Merut Construction the past several weeks. He has a passion for numbers, an interest in the Pennsylvania’s great outdoors, and the historic period of World War II. Read on to find out more about the latest addition to the team…

What department are you interning?

I am currently getting experience in the accounting department.

Please describe your college experience and career goals. 

I am a sophomore at King’s College majoring in Accounting. I am currently working towards my education goals of a bachelor’s degree in Accounting along with getting my CPA certifications.  King’s College appealed to me because of their Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International accreditation. This accreditation represents the highest standard of achievement for business schools worldwide.   I also chose King’s College because of the communal and close-knit campus life. Besides the intense workload at times, college has been a great experience so far with many new skills learned and friends made.

In June of 2017,  I began working on commercial and residential fencing jobs with Rutkoski Fencing, Inc., a sister company to Merut Construction.  Because accounting is an interest of mine, I wanted to learn the “behind the scenes” aspects of the company and inquired about an internship.

What are your internship expectations?

During my experience thus far at Merut Construction, I have learned that “real life” accounting is quite different from the classroom setting. My college classes have been focused on valuable concepts needed to perform the tasks I am assigned. However, on the job experience has been beneficial to see how the concepts tie to the actual work.

Do you think your internship during a pandemic is different from your original expectations?

I think my expectations held true despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Working in an office has been a little different than expected with the social distancing, mask wearing, and constant mindfulness of what I have been touching. I do not think my expectations of the internship of the work itself have been affected because of these things. Overall, I believe the procedures in place and the awareness of keeping my workspace clean is something that I will carry over even after the pandemic has ended.

What has been your experience been like so far? 

My work schedule has been a little atypical due to the hybrid learning system King’s College has implemented, but with the time I have in the office my tasks have been fairly consistent. A typical work session consists of reading and responding to emails, working in QuickBooks to enter invoices and match receipts to paid transactions, and updating and entering vendor information.

Tell me about yourself. 

Outside of work and school I try to do the things I love the most. Whether it be out hunting in my deer stand or taking my boat out for a fishing trip, the outdoors is where I try to be. I also enjoy collecting vintage military memorabilia from many different countries.  Pennsylvania hunting is great, but I hope to go out west or even to Alaska on a hunt in the future. Harvey’s Lake and Lake Winola are my go-to spots I frequently fish, but the fishing in New York or Florida are my favorite places. World War II has always interested me and I was able to acquire two rifles dating back to 1938 and 1944 from local shops to add to my collection.

Anything else you would like to mention?

I would just like to thank everyone here at Merut and RFI, especially Timothy and Megan for this internship opportunity. I would also like to thank Maribel and Ray in the Accounting department who have been very helpful with instructions and answering all of my questions.

The staff at Merut Construction are enjoying Stephen’s time and assistance.  We are happy to guide him in a business setting and wish him the best of luck in reaching his academic goals!