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When Usman Khan ’05 (Karachi, Pakistan) arrived for his internship at InteCap Inc. in May, it didn’t take long for him to begin contributing.
“Essentially, we treated him as if he were a newly minted graduate who joined us as an analyst,” says Alan Friedman ’68, the New York firm’s managing director.
Khan, a double major in electrical and computer engineering and mathematics-economics, says he, too, approached the internship as a career position — right down to investigating how employees work and interact with each other.
“I liked the culture, so I decided to come here,” he says, explaining that a lunch with an associate and an analyst from the company convinced him he’d found the right place.
For Khan, who also interned during the spring semester as an international financial analyst for Siemens Corp. in Iselin, N.J., the experience is one more opportunity to hone the skills he learned in the classroom — and pick up new ones.
“Professional experience counts a lot in the workplace,” he says.
Khan’s work at InteCap involves financial consulting, litigation services, securities, and valuations, including valuation of a real estate holding company.
Friedman, who recently joined InteCap and began the internship program, says Khan has helped show just how valuable an intern can be.
“He’s really doing very well,” Friedman says, explaining that Khan reports to him and two other managing directors. “The feedback is unanimously positive. He’s enthusiastic, he’s energetic, and he comes in on weekends when he’s needed He’s very, very quantitative, and that’s very useful.”
In addition to his internships, Khan completed an externship during his sophomore year with James Flowers ’69, project manager for the power and transmission department of the Omaha (Neb.) Public Power District. During his junior year, he conducted research on fuel-cell technology with William A. Hornfeck, professor of electrical and computer engineering, and an independent study on a portfolio analysis method called the Markowitz Frontier with Qin Lu, assistant professor of mathematics.
“The academic environment at Lafayette is probably one of the best in the nation,” he says. “I feel that the College affords one so many opportunities; it is just up to the individual to find them. I have found all the professors and administrative staff very helpful in helping me achieve all my goals. What sets Lafayette apart from other schools is that even though it is a small school, the best resources and opportunities are available to the students.”
Khan is a resident adviser in Ruef Hall and a member of the campus chapter of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the Investment Club. He has also served as a tutor for Lafayette’s Calculus Cavalry and Academic Resource Department and as an academic tutor at the Easton Neighborhood Centers through the College’s Landis Community Outreach Center.
In addition, Khan has participated in the Team Barge and Lehigh Valley Association of Independent Colleges mathematics competitions, as well as the Mathematical Contest in Modeling, and plays on the intramural squash and table tennis teams.
A member of Phi Beta Kappa, he is a recipient of the William G. McLean Tau Beta Pi Prize, given toa sophomore engineering student based on academic performance, campus citizenship, and professional orientation.