J-1 Journey: Alyssa Franks Discovers Boston’s Irish Roots & Career Path
Alyssa Franks is a J-1 who spent her year in Boston interning at Beacon Pointe Wealth Advisors. She decided to come to the states so that she could get a better idea of her career’s direction, and also meet new people who could give her guidance on her journey. The J-1 visa guaranteed her travel and work experience—two things she was interested in. Additionally, she has family in Boston, and stayed with them. She didn’t realize till coming to Boston how much history the city holds and its connection with Irish roots. To keep her from being homesick, she wanted a city that had this link to home, while also getting closer to her uncle and cousins. This experience completely shattered her expectations, even though she feared she would be homesick and go through a culture shock, she has absolutely no regrets.
For her internship, she got to be full-time in the office, and was therefore surrounded by people who were happy to answer any questions she had. She spoke with coworkers during lunches, was always asked what exactly she wanted to learn, and exposed to new things through client meetings. On her first day of the internship, she was taken aback by how kind and welcoming people were, and their willingness to help her. After even the first day, she had this sense of ease after meeting everyone. This experience helped provide her with a roadmap to what she wanted to do with her career as well. Turns out she really likes the investment side of finance, as it has lots of client engagement. With this internship, she now knows she wants to explore a career in investment banking, as she loves the personal relationship building with clients.
Furthermore, her J-1 year taught her that Boston wasn’t the daunting city that she thought it was. Alyssa was able to meet many Irish friends and expand her knowledge of the history and culture of Boston. She loved doing touristy things, and realizing that a lot of the people she surrounded herself with had interests similar to her—traveling, work, and having a fun time. Some highlights from her year include: watching the fireworks on the 4th of July, traveling to Martha’s Vineyard, and seeing her first baseball game at Fenway. Also, she found the support from the team at Rian to be very helpful in her experience, as they always responded quickly and made her feel supported before her embassy appointment. It was great to know that if she had any questions at all she had a group of people to ask.
As for advice she has to give, she says that anyone contemplating whether or not to do the J-1 experience should just do it. Even though she didn’t travel to the U.S. with many friends and was afraid of not fitting in, she hasn’t had a bad day in the states. She’s met so many new people, discovered a new sense of independence, went out of her comfort zone, and gained more confidence. By pushing herself and making the effort to talk to new people, she learned she was capable of more than she previously thought. Overall, she had an amazing time and we wish Alyssa all the best and cannot wait to see where her life takes her! Connect with us on social media to see more of Alyssa’s pictures from her time in Boston! @rianj_1 on Instagram and Rian J-1 on Facebook.