WSFS Technology Interns Bring Their Knowledge to the Next Level and the Bank’s Ideas to Life

The Associates and Interns within the Operations & Technology division at WSFS Bank are truly a huge part of how WSFS brings its mission to life. They are the backbone of the Bank by making sure all the systems are properly functioning.

Although working on different teams, the Technology Interns are taking their classroom experience into the real world, assisting with many different tasks and projects.

Business Application and Development Intern, Ryan Babala has been working in his role for about a year now. He started with WSFS last summer working on tool enhancement, then transitioned to working part-time during the school year to see it through and begin new projects.

“In January, we devised a new monetary holds system to replace the previous iteration and the current manual process. I’ve spent this summer making that idea into a reality mostly on the front end, but sometimes working with the services as well,” he explained.

Ryan’s favorite parts about WSFS are his team and the collaboration they have on a daily basis. “Everyone is so knowledgeable and willing to help me when I have issues or get confused. I truly enjoy that we all get to work in such a collaborative environment where my teammates and I can brainstorm together.”

In May 2022, Ryan graduated from Temple University with a degree in computer science. “Working at WSFS has allowed me to take what I learned in school to the next level by using and experiencing more modern tools than what I was used to in the classroom. When it came down to my senior capstone project, I used the same software stack as I have used at WSFS, which allowed me to excel in my project.”

Working within Business Application and Development, Ryan is able to see ideas become realities. “The most satisfying part of my job is when I finish working on something for so long and I see it do exactly what I envisioned it doing.”

Outside of working, Ryan enjoys playing video games and chess (he used to compete in tournaments). Throughout his time at WSFS, Ryan has learned to take nothing for granted, always ask for clarification, and be willing to adapt if things need to change.

Although having two internships prior, Yash Banka, Salesforce Associate Intern, was drawn to WSFS because of its excellent programs that are allowing him to grow professionally and personally, all while relating his education to the world of finance and learning what it takes to be a Salesforce Administrator.

“This internship has taught me intriguing information about the bank and how to succeed in the banking industry based on my individual qualifications and background,” he said. “Overall, WSFS is an excellent bank to learn from if you want to advance in your profession and succeed in business.”

Yash is a rising senior at Temple University’s Fox School of Business where he is studying finance, with a concentration in Corporate Valuation, and a minor in Management Information Systems (MIS). He is originally from Queens, NY, but has found a home in Philadelphia.

In his role, Yash oversees the development and enhancement of the Salesforce Financial Services Cloud Platform as well as learning about Salesforce in-depth via Trailhead. He has also demonstrated the Bank’s high standards of Customer service by promptly identifying, diagnosing, and fixing issues with end users. Lastly, Yash has had the opportunity to be a part in the integration of other enterprise applications or systems.

“My favorite project has been maintaining and updating Sandbox environments while supporting UAT testing and user training for existing and new users. By using profiles, permission settings, and roles, as well as license management and cost tracking in Salesforce, I can manage the creation of new and current users as well as their permissions.”

Yash has been able to grow personally as much as professionally in his internship. His best advice for those around him is to seize any opportunities put in front of you. “Try to make as many connections and introductions within the Company as possible, and don’t hesitate to make inquiries or offer fresh suggestions. If you want to learn, talk to your teammates, managers, other departments, and your peers; be receptive to advice and insightful criticism, especially from those who have experienced what you are going through.”

Delivery Transformation Intern, Nick Kautz, has truly been able to experience many of the opportunities that WSFS holds. “Last summer, I completed the annual ATM audits for the Total Cash Management team at Cash Connect. After my internship ended, I learned about the Delivery Transformation (DT) team and saw it as a great opportunity to be a part of all the changes happening at WSFS. When the opportunity to intern within the DT team came up, I was excited to apply.”

Nick is a rising senior at Salisbury University where he is studying both finance and information systems. “The dashboards that I have been creating are very similar to the projects I worked on for my data analytics courses. Additionally, just being knowledgeable on information systems topics has allowed me to understand and follow many of the meetings I am in.”

“I was drawn to WSFS because of its great reputation and commitment to serving its surrounding community,” he said. “In my opinion, WSFS completely distinguishes itself from other banks in the area.”

“My favorite thing about WSFS is the amount of opportunity available within the Company. Having just gone through a large period of growth, and now focusing on integrating and optimizing, WSFS has been accommodating to all the new data coming through. Another great opportunity has been my ability to network with people in other departments within the Bank.”

So far this summer, Nick has been working alongside his manager, Joe Saienni, to publish Power BI dashboards. “The dashboard I most recently finished working on allows our team to track the performance of the automation bots we have been putting out,” he explained. “Cleaning, transforming, and visualizing the data to track our bot performance has been my favorite task of the summer because it involves both problem solving and creative thinking.”

Outside of working, Nick enjoys spending time with his friends, golfing and working out. He is the current vice president of the golf club at Salisbury University! If he had the opportunity to have dinner with anyone in the world, Nick would have dinner with Mark Cuban because of his incredible entrepreneurship.

No matter how these Technology Interns began their time with WSFS, they have all made incredible impacts within their respective teams and the Bank as a whole, and WSFS is lucky to have them!

Click here to learn about career and advancement opportunities at WSFS.