Meet: Rebecca Pu, Treasury Junior Analyst '21

Update: Rebecca Pu completed the Treasury Junior Analyst Program and began as a Climate Risk Analyst at S&P Global Sustianable 1 in New York City. 

What’s your typical day as a Treasury Junior Analyst?

• Conduct the daily risk and investment guideline monitoring process on client portfolios and trades.
• Develop economic models related to duration and risk by applying data science techniques in research.
• Source and consolidate relevant macroeconomic data from various databases and open data sources to assist with economics research.
• Assist and attend RAMP trainings held by senior colleagues on the team.

What is your greatest challenge and success as a Junior Analyst?

My greatest challenge has been adapting to the steep learning curve of financial and institutional knowledge. My greatest success has been using the data science skills I learned in college to better streamline the risk and compliance monitoring process       

What do you appreciate most about the Junior Analyst program?

I appreciate that the senior managers and colleagues really make an effort to include me on projects tailored to my interests to support my learning goals. Whether it is including me on ESG reporting projects or enrolling me in training programs, my team has been extremely helpful in developing me professionally to my interests in sustainable finance and data science. My manager’s flexibility and openness towards taking my interests and goals into account is truly empowering.

What do you appreciate about Treasury’s multicultural work environment?

As someone who grew up in rural America and has not traveled abroad much, I am especially enthusiastic about our multicultural work environment. Meeting and working with people from around the world has broadened my worldview. It deepened my belief in diversity and inclusion, and it’s empowering to come together every day with people from all around the world to solve critical issues in development finance.

What has been the involvement of senior colleagues with your work?

My senior colleagues have been the best mentors on my professional development journey. They are incredibly approachable and always willing to lend a hand when I have questions and need help.

Why did you apply to the Summer Internship Program?

I applied to the World Bank Treasury Summer Internship because I wanted to work in development at a multilateral institution and apply my quantitative skills to sustainable development. With my background in climate finance, I thought Treasury was a good fit to work in finance while addressing complex issues in global development.

How did the Treasury Summer Internship prepare you for this position?

During my summer internship, I rotated through the Risk and Compliance Team, the Investor Relations Team, and the Banking Operations Team. Across these three teams, I worked on a wide variety of projects ranging from creating an investor-facing deck on sustainable development bonds and automating operational risk reporting to working on economics research and client solutions.

Each day as an intern never looked the same. Whether it was conducting in-depth research on my own or participating in client calls, each day, I developed different types of skills that I use today as a Junior Analyst. The internship taught me how to quickly acclimate to new departments, jump in on projects and conduct a wide variety of tasks with diligence and excellence.

What are your goals after your two years as Junior Analyst?

After my two years as a Junior Analyst, I will pursue a Ph.D. in Economics. As climate change becomes more and more a pressing global issue, I want to develop economic models that incorporate climate risk to better address development challenges around the world.

How has the Junior Analyst Program prepared you to achieve these goals?

The Junior Analyst Program has developed my research skills and deepened my financial economics knowledge. Through reading working papers and developing macroeconomic models, I have refined my research interests in preparation for a Ph.D.