UA's first Bloomberg intern takes on New York City
Denzel Kodua-Sarpong, a senior cybersecurity major, is the first University of Akron (UA) student to land a prestigious internship at Bloomberg, a New York City-based global leader in business and financial information and news.
A lot of persistence and networking paid off this summer for Denzel Kodua-Sarpong, a senior cybersecurity major. He became the first University of Akron (UA) student to land a prestigious internship at Bloomberg, a New York City-based global leader in business and financial information and news.
Kodua-Sarpong worked as an equity research analyst intern in Bloomberg Intelligence, where he was a member of the general ETF (Exchange-Traded Fund) team. ETFs are type of investment that allow investors to buy a collection of investments, such as stocks or bonds, with a single purchase. Kodua-Sarpong’s project was to build and present an ETF model, then write a primer on the ETF and pitch his findings to senior Bloomberg staff.
This experience was an incredible learning opportunity, he said, but his lunch breaks may prove just as valuable in the future. Whenever he had a few minutes to spare, Kodua-Sarpong watched the Bloomberg anchors and reporters filming their shows. He made a point to meet the shows’ guests — typically high-level financial executives — after they filmed their segments. He networked with as many people as he could, including Michael Bloomberg himself. The billionaire businessman and former New York City mayor was sitting at his desk when Kodua-Sarpong approached him.
“I shared a lot personally about where I come from and where I live,” said Kodua-Sarpong, who was born in Ghana, moved to the U.S. permanently in 2020 and graduated from Copley High School near Akron. “It was a good conversation.”
Kodua-Sarpong was also recognized on-air when Joel Weber, head of Bloomberg Explains & Games, noted that Kodua-Sarpong had helped with a segment on the Bloomberg show “ETF IQ.”
Kodua-Sarpong was introduced to the Bloomberg company as a UA student representative on a February 2025 trip to New York with College of Business donors. The group had the unique experience of meeting some big names in the financial world, including Jason Kelly, a chief correspondent for Bloomberg Originals. The two kept in touch, and Kelly gave Kodua-Sarpong a key referral to the internship program.
A Dean’s List student, Kodua-Sarpong received some great news at the start of the fall 2026 semester — he was offered a full-time job at Bloomberg after graduation.
“I’m feeling confident in the work I did this summer and how things have gone,” Kodua-Sarpong said. “It was quite the experience and great to meet a lot of people.”
Kodua-Sarpong was inspired during his experience by the song "On God" by Ghanian artist Shatta Wale.
"The song has been meaningful to me throughout my journey and has helped motivate me through difficult times," he said. "I listened to it regularly throughout the summer while I was interning, and I feel that its message reflects many aspects of my own story, perseverance and journey."
Media contact: media@uakron.edu
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