Elisabeth Ellsworth, '10

When Elisabeth Ellsworth took an internship at Ironworks Consulting during her senior year at the University of Richmond, she thought it was just a way to learn about the consulting industry.  

“My intent was to secure a job by early spring and very likely return to the West Coast,” she said. Ellsworth came to the University from Palo Alto, California in Silicon Valley.

But soon her fall internship had turned into a spring internship as well, and Ellsworth mentioned to her boss that she was considering staying on the East Coast, and possibly in Richmond, after graduation.

“My boss set up a meeting right away to discuss what I might be looking for in a full-time position at Ironworks,” she said.  “Shortly after [that] they made me a full-time offer.”

Ellsworth began working for Ironworks on the Tuesday after she graduated, making her one of the youngest employees at Ironworks Consulting.

“Ironworks frequently points out to clients and employees that they hire seasoned professionals and not kids right out of college like many large consulting firms,” she said. However, by getting to know her current team and the company while she was still in school, Ellsworth was able to secure herself a job a few months shy of graduation. 

Ellsworth’s classes at the Robins School of Business helped prepare her for the work culture at Ironworks.  One accounting professor in particular made an impact by introducing Ellsworth to a commencement speech that Bill Gates made to a group of high school students. Rule number one in Gates’ was, “Life is not fair, get used to it.”

“That accounting class and doses of ‘real world’ reality made me both enjoy accounting and finance and put things in perspective,” Elisabeth said. “I still have a portion of that speech in my office at work.”

One of the best things about her job, she said, is the people she works with.

“Ironworks prides itself on their corporate culture—a place people love to come to and hate to leave kind of thing,” she said.

The smaller work environment at Ironworks has given her the opportunity to branch into other areas of work and fields of interest not directly linked to her position.

“I have a lot of freedom in my job to try new things and be challenged,” she said. Ellsworth felt that since she was not micromanaged, she was able to do more and interact with people in all levels of the organization.

“I enjoy seeing the creative new ways we pitch to clients and the fact that my job never feels terribly repetitive,” she said. 

Ellsworth regularly interacts with her coworkers outside of work. “Whether it be at a happy hour or serving the homeless at the Conrad House—there have been tons of opportunities to be involved in fun Ironworks events with my coworkers.”

“Any experience is good experience; they say that a lot while you are an undergraduate at the University,” she said.

“The more experience you can get before you graduate, the more likely that you will have an idea of what you might like to do following graduation.”