Accounting Major Gains Advanced Tax Experience Through Internship
What did Abigail Rendock ’27 find most interesting about her tax internship? The corporate environment, teamwork with students from other schools, training on new topics, working under a partner of the firm and doing work she otherwise wouldn’t do until after graduation.
An accounting major, Rendock spent the Spring 2026 semester as a tax intern at Withum’s Providence office as part of a team with staff accountants, another intern and one of the firm’s partners. Withum, an advisory, tax and accounting firm, is included in Vault’s listing of the 25 best accounting firms in the country to work for.
What Was a Typical Day Like as a Tax Intern at Withum?
“After arriving I checked in with my mentor to discuss tasks I'd been working on and any concerns or questions I had,” said Rendock. “At 9am the entire team met with a partner who reviewed the clients whose returns we would be working on that week and made sure everyone was on task and had work to do. Then I would start working on a tax return, which could take up to two hours or more.”
"After lunch I might have a peer mentoring or coaching session with my mentor and a few other interns about different topics. Sometimes I had administrative work to do for a staff member and then more training in the afternoon. Other times there would be a Zoom presentation with all the interns at the company to learn about topics such as the Certified Professional Accountant (CPA) exam or how we can use AI with our work. There was always something to do and we were always busy. By the end of the day, I was figuring out what the next day would look like and which clients I had for the rest of the week.”
What Skills Did You Learn and Put into Practice?
“We worked with real estate clients, mostly entities, and I did tax returns for them and other clients,” explains Rendock. For tax purposes, an entity is any person, business or organization — including corporations, partnerships or sole proprietorships — required to file tax returns and pay taxes. “I did a lot of work that is rare for an accounting internship; it’s a above entry level and I would normally not have the opportunity to do it until after receiving my degree.”
Rendock was also trained on tax extensions and 1040 tax forms for individuals. “They always found something new that they needed help with, so it was kind of, ‘we need support in this area, we're going to teach you how to do this so you can get going on that,’” she notes.
Rendock says she had a good mix of in-person and online training combined with hands-on practical learning for which she gives high praise and thanks to Withum staff. She’s also grateful that she had peer interns from other schools whom she got to brainstorm with on different projects.
How Does AI Fit With Accounting and Taxes?
Rendock explained that using AI when working on tax documents is possible, but in a limited way. “I don't use it for tax returns. I will use it to help organize and clean up spreadsheets.”
Rendock noted clients had preferences, saying, “Some clients ask specifically that AI not be used on their return. Using AI is in a transition period. It can help with administrative work, which, in the past, might have been done by an intern. Thanks to AI, I can spend more time working on a partnership tax return instead of doing more administrative work. It's something I have to learn more about and get used to as it becomes more important. I'd rather get ahead of it than be behind.”
What Was the Work Environment Like?
“I had great staff to work with and learn from and am really grateful for that. They care about what you're learning and that you understand it. I'm happy I was part of that and felt like I made a difference while working there; I was really helping them with their work while they were helping me learn. It was a great position."
How Will Your Internship Help with Your Future Career?
“What I learned is not the type of work interns would usually do, so I already feel like I have a great base of knowledge for when I start to interview for a full-time position. I have the groundwork for tax returns for entities, including partnerships, and with 1040s for individual returns.”
“There are also soft skills needed to work with people in higher-level positions, like a partner or supervisor. I can communicate with them professionally while also working well with other interns and staff. Those communication skills — being professional, learning how to dress and act in an office, being on time — and experiences will be helpful when I start a full-time position. I would be more nervous about graduating if I didn't have this type of experience. It is helpful to gain that real, concrete experience as a student.”
Life Outside the Classroom and Internship
When Rendock isn’t crunching numbers, she practices and competes with JWU’s Women’s Outdoor Track & Field team. “Having classes, an internship and athletics can be difficult — the hours are long and you're exhausted. So, learning to have a good balance is important to me,” says Rendock.
“Working with my teammates and having time to laugh, chat and get fresh air — it’s fantastic. I love it and I have amazing, supportive coaches who allow me to do an internship during the season. They are fantastic coaches and great advisors and care about us as people, more than just as an athlete on the team."
Rendock is also the vice president of the Finance & Investment Academy, a student-run club, a member of the JWU Honors Program, the Student Athlete Advisory Committee and Chi Alpha Sigma Honor Society, which recognizes college student athletes who excel both on and off the field.
“Through the Finance & Accounting Academy I've met many alumni and worked with many students — I love meeting them all. These have all been great experiences I will carry with me forever,” she shared.
What are Rendock’s Career Goals?
“When I graduate, I want to become a certified public accountant, start working and then choose what industry I’d like to specialize in. I'll have to get a master's degree and take the CPA exam so it will take a few years for that,” she said.
“As an athlete, I'm super interested in athletics, so maybe working for a sports team in accounting would be good. I'm also interested in technology; I think that's a really interesting field. Once I get my CPA, I'll figure out which direction to go in.”
Why JWU: Affordability, Faculty, Opportunities
“The affordability helped me choose JWU; I received a great scholarship. And when looking at schools, I considered some of the big business schools, but at JWU I loved the small class sizes and the professors whom I met during Accepted Students Days.”
“Associate Professor Deborah Doonan is now my mentor, and I owe her so much. We met during my first year. When I took a tax course with her, her passion about the profession and the accounting and tax pathway was inspiring.”
“Professor Doonan was my also advisor for Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) which I did with her for two years. I learned the process for filing clients’ tax returns and gained experience working directly with clients. She puts in countless hours and energy to provide educational opportunities to students outside of classroom.”
“I've never felt like I missed out by going to JWU instead of a bigger school. For me, being an athlete and being right in the city of Providence — it worked out great and I love that I made this choice.”
