McNeese Senior Interns With AMERISAFE

Yogishi Sah is a senior finance and accounting major at McNeese State University who had the opportunity to intern with AMERISAFE LLC in DeRidder under the director of tax and compliance. AMERISAFE provides worker’s comp insurance with the focus on smaller to mid-sized employers in hazardous industries.  

Sah, from Birgunj, Nepal, learned to apply technical tax knowledge in a corporate setting where she gained more insight into how detailed tax work supports the larger financial picture.  

“I will use this experience to strengthen my professional judgment. These skills will directly apply to future roles in tax, audit or corporate finance,” she explained.  

Sah attained confidence in her technical and analytical abilities throughout the internship. She also saw how classroom learning translates to real world situations, which has helped her to feel better prepared for graduate-level roles and her journey to becoming a certified public accountant (CPA).  

“I applied concepts from my accounting and tax courses, such as deferred tax calculations and financial reporting standards,” she said. “Along with that, my Excel skills from coursework were essential for building accurate workpapers.” 

Sah learned the importance of collaboration, communication and attention to detail in a corporate setting. In class, the focus was mainly on theory, but in the workplace, she saw how numbers are connected to decisions made by auditors, regulators and management. 

“My plan is to complete my degrees, pursue my CPA license and work in public accounting or corporate tax,” she expressed. “Eventually I would like to move into a leadership role where I can guide financial strategy and compliance for an organization.” 

Sah believes finance and accounting are the backbone of every organization. She enjoys working with numbers, analyzing details and solving problems. She wanted to make a career where she could combine technical knowledge with real world decision making.  

“I chose McNeese because of its strong business program, affordable tuition and the welcoming community. As an international student, I wanted a university where I could feel supported both academically and personally and McNeese this gave me that balance,” she explained.  

Sah wants students to be open to learning. “Internships are less about having all of the answers and more about gaining experience, asking questions and showing initiative,” she said.