Meet Louis Plung & Company’s Summer 2025 Interns
Louis Plung & Company welcomed 5 interns to our team this summer – three to the audit department and two to the tax department.
All five will be sharing insights over the course of the summer – why they sought out an internship, what type of work they’re performing, differences in what they’ve studied in college versus practical application at a CPA firm, and what value they’re gaining from this experience.
A couple of weeks into their internships, here are their thoughts.
Emily Wincko – Tax Intern
I am a rising junior at the University of Pittsburgh, double majoring in Finance and Accounting. I have always been drawn to challenges that require attention to detail and practical problem-solving. Specifically, I view tax as a critical and technical aspect of accounting that allows me to apply both analytical and research skills. Looking ahead, I also hope to gain experience in audit to broaden my understanding of the various processes within the accounting field.
At Louis Plung & Company, I have already had the opportunity to engage with several professional software platforms, including Engagement, Fixed Assets, CCH Tax, and Excel. While I had prior experience using Excel in my college coursework, I was new to the other tools regularly used by the tax team.
As part of my onboarding, I completed practice tax returns, including both 1040s for individuals and 1041s for Estates and Trusts. This experience exposed me to different income types, deductions, and credits. In particular, working on the 1041 helped me understand the complexities of estate and trust taxation, such as income distributions and beneficiary allocations. These hands-on tasks have helped me become familiar with federal and state tax forms, navigate various features within the software, and gain a foundational understanding of each document’s purpose.
Reflecting on my experience so far, I’ve found that my perception of tax has evolved. I was surprised to discover how much of the work involves research and interpretation, not just calculations. I’m excited to continue deepening my knowledge throughout the internship and to explore how tax fits into the broader landscape of public accounting.
Ryan Crissman – Tax Intern
I am a rising senior at Westminster College, studying Accounting and Finance. I chose to pursue a tax internship because of how it couples in-depth problem-solving skills with a structured process to solve complex situations. Throughout college I have been fortunate enough to have some small hands-on experience through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, offering me the opportunity to gain knowledge in preparing individual tax returns for lower-income taxpayers. Making this internship the perfect opportunity and learning experience!
Since starting here, I have been surprised by how real-world tax situations differ greatly from my classwork. Throughout my college career, I have had a handful of tax classes but all of them focused on teaching taxes as more of a theory, not in any practical use. My classes also only focused on taxes for individuals, never touching upon the numerous other types. Since my short time here, I have already been given exciting opportunities to practice hands-on skills in preparing practice returns for individuals, trusts, and corporations. At the same time, I’ve gained experience in tax software that I had never used before.
I have also learned a lot about Missouri use tax in ways I never could have imagined. I’ve gained new skills in calculating Missouri use tax payments that had been deferred – calculating the taxable amount, applying county tax rates, and calculating additional interest that is owed. Overall, I am so grateful for this opportunity to gain new exposure to areas of tax I have never encountered before, further building my skills as an accountant. I cannot wait to continue to grow and contribute!
Calista LaRue – Audit Intern
I am a rising junior at Washington & Jefferson College (W&J) where I study Accounting and Database Science. At W&J, I run on their Cross Country and Track team along with participating in Washington Fellows, Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society and Accounting Society.
During my sophomore year, I was interested in applying for internships to expand my knowledge and experience in the accounting world. This led me to attend the Business and Accounting Opportunity Fair at W&J, an event where students can network with potential employers. After speaking with a few accounting firms, I came across Louis Plung & Company (LPC). The associates at LPC’s booth were the most personable I spoke to all day. After further research, I found that LPC’s firm, core values and location were a great fit for me and what I was searching for in an internship.
After interning for a few weeks now, I can say that everyone in the office is just as friendly as those I spoke to at the Opportunity Fair. At LPC, I have had the opportunity to work on projects that expand my auditing knowledge on processes that I have yet to learn in school including Homeowners’ Association (HOA) audits and cost certifications. LPC is great for me because they understand that this is a learning experience for me and are willing to take the time to explain how and why things are done.
Jovan Kojic – Audit Intern
I actually worked for Louis Plung & Company for on the audit team for eight months. After I left, I kept connections and reached out when I was exploring options and concluded this internship is an opportunity that does not come across very often.
Since starting my internship, I worked on an engagement with an educational organization where we perform financial statements audit as well as a Title IV audit. This was under the guidance of Senior Manager Joseph Repko who showed a lot of experience and knowledge in the higher education industry. We worked together on the same engagement last year, but this year is much different as I know what this non-profit organization is all about. Also, this was a great opportunity to understand audit procedures and standards on a deeper level because instead of trying to make sense of what I am doing, I was actually able to think critically and do the audit properly.
Besides that, I worked on a compilation under Manager Tom Culleiton paired with Audit Staff Mary Gally. It was a good experience because I had a chance to guide Mary in some areas, and she helped me in other areas.
Paty Fernandez – Audit Intern
I am an upcoming Junior, double majoring in Accounting and Finance at Syracuse University. I am originally from Mexico, but I moved to the United States in 2019.
Back in Syracuse, I am part of different clubs, like the Investment Club. I am also a member of the Gamma Phi Beta Sorority Alpha Chapter, where I was the Financial Vice President Assistant last fall semester.
This type of exposure to working with significant amounts of money drove me to seek a summer internship. After researching what skill I wanted to work on this summer, I landed the opportunity to interview for LPC and got an offer last December. After the end of my Spring semester, my first day at LPC was on Tuesday, May 27th. Since then, I have developed a new and on-going skill set that will benefit my performance in the business world.
These couple of weeks, I have been working on different kinds of testing for diverse financial statements. I have also worked on allocating 401(K) Plans, which I had never been exposed to.
I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity and the coaching I have been given, and I cannot wait to see what I accomplish this summer.
