Internship Spotlight: Johan Griesel ’26, Goldman Sachs
While interning at a leading investment bank, Johan Griesel benefited from mentorship from firm leaders and SOM alums.
Internship: Investment banking summer associate, Goldman Sachs, New York City
Hometown: Cape Town, South Africa
Pronouns: he/him/his
SOM classes used on the job: Sourcing & Managing Funds, Strategic Leadership Across Sectors
Go-to work lunch: Brookfield Place, where my favorite restaurant options are Blue Ribbon Sushi, Dos Toros Taqueria, and Dig Inn
Weekend routine: Jogging in Central Park with friends, hopping through Chelsea galleries, discovering new restaurants, and catching live music downtown
This summer, I interned at Goldman Sachs in New York as an investment banking summer associate. The program began with a week of training before we joined our respective groups. I joined the cross markets group, which provides investment banking services for public and private companies across multiple industries.
During the summer I was involved in a mix of live and prospective transactions. My responsibilities ranged from preparing client materials and market updates to supporting valuation workstreams and comparable company analyses. I helped with execution work on a live public sell-side process and contributed to analysis for a potential buy-side advisory engagement. I also supported a team preparing board materials for a potential IPO, which gave me a window into how companies approach such decisions.
Like many of my classmates, I was drawn to Goldman Sachs for its global reach and reputation as a leading advisor on industry-defining transactions. However, what stood out once I arrived was the culture of mentorship and collaboration. From the first day, I was paired with a summer mentor, a full-time associate who guided me through my summer project: pitching a potential take-private to our training committee and senior bankers in the group. The cross-markets group also organizes interns into cohorts, which gave us a built-in support system and opportunities to connect outside of work. Senior leaders were equally engaged throughout the program. The summer even wrapped up with a social at our group head’s home, which was a great way to close the experience.
Living in Brooklyn Heights, I tried to soak up as much of New York as I could. After the week’s work, I’d lace up my running shoes and head to Central Park for a jog with friends. On weekends, we wandered through Chelsea’s art galleries, sampled new restaurants across the city, and explored the vibrant music scene. The summer’s most memorable evening came on July 4, when I joined friends at Brooklyn Bridge Park to watch fireworks light up the skyline.
The Yale SOM network at Goldman Sachs was another highlight. Early in the summer our alumni hosted a happy hour for the SOM interns, offering candid advice and encouragement. That support gave me an immediate sense of community and peers I could lean on throughout the internship. I also built friendships with interns from other top MBA programs, many of whom will remain close connections long after business school.
Yale SOM itself played a big role in preparing me for the internship. Core courses like Sourcing & Managing Funds provided a solid foundation in corporate finance, while electives let me explore areas of personal interest. Two standouts were A History of Financial Market Fraud: A Forensic Approach, taught by Jim Chanos, and Strategic Leadership Across Sectors, taught by Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, whose insights often appear in outlets like the Wall Street Journal and Financial Times. Each week, Professor Sonnenfeld invites a small group of students to lunch with guest speakers. One of the lunches I attended was with Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon. Fast-forward a few months, and I was interning at his firm, a full-circle moment I’ll never forget.
Goldman Sachs designed the summer program to mirror the full-time associate role and the support, exposure, and camaraderie I experienced gave me a clear picture of what life as a banker looks like. More importantly, the internship confirmed my interest in investment banking and gave me confidence in the path ahead. It was a summer of steep learning curves, meaningful mentorship, and lasting friendships. I left excited to return full-time and continue the journey.
Johan Griesel is a recipient of the Raymond ’96 MBA and Tiffany Chang Family Scholarship (2024–2025).
