SBI senior snags internship with world’s No. 1 real estate firm

FAMU senior Nelani KelleyMarsh will be spending 10 weeks at CBRE in Miami.
Photo Submitted by Nelani KellyMarsh.

Nalani KelleyMarsh, a senior business admiration major, is making FAMU history by becoming the first African American accepted into CBRE’s internship program. 

KelleyMarsh came across this internship opportunity through a conference with the help of one of her real estate mentors, Ali Brody.

Brody serves as manager of the business development team within the company.

“We want you to be ready for what lies ahead.

“You'll never stop learning. And never stop progressing. There are literally no limits as to how high you can go," Brody said. “She has a very ambitious mindset and is driven to reaching her goals, which made her stand out from her peers.”

The internship is a 10-week process that will take place this summer in Miami. CBRE is the leading full-service real estate services and investment organization in the world. The CBRE Group is the world’s largest commercial real estate services and investment firm, with more than 90,000 employees.

CBRE has been included in the Fortune 500 since 2008, the company ranked No. 207 in 2018 and has been named one of Fortune’s “Most Admired Companies” for seven years in a row, including being ranked No. 1 in the real estate sector in 2019. 

Its shares trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol CBRE.

The company offers a broad range of integrated services, including facilities, transaction and project management; property management; investment management; appraisal and valuation; property leasing; strategic consulting; property sales; mortgage services and development services.

KelleyMarsh will be in many of these services as her duties and affiliations will rotate during her internship period.

“I’m so excited that CBRE has brought on a student such as skilled as Ms. KelleyMarsh! I’m looking forward to seeing her working during her time spent with us this summer,” said Clarissa Willis.

“I’m looking forward to being in a top tier market along with the plethora of avenues I’ll be exposed to within the industry,” said KelleyMarsh.

This will be her second internship, KellyMarsh was also interned with a few other Rattlers last summer with Goldman & Sachs as a summer associate. During her tenure as a student she has served rigorously in her FAMU community and currently serves as president of the Real Estate and Leadership club, an affiliate of the School of Business & Industry at Florida A&M University. It is an educational, non-profit membership organization of undergraduate and graduate students. 

The club’s purpose is to empower students by sharing knowledge and promoting interest in the study of real estate exposing them to the fundamentals of real estate, helping members achieve their real estate license at a discounted price, to encourage appreciation for the complexities of the real estate industry, and increase opportunities for advancement in the real estate profession.