Last spring, two 51ÁÔÆæ clubs — the Finance Club and Women in Finance — organized a trip to New York City, where students met with alumni at Deutsche Bank, ScotiaBank, and Goldman Sachs. Over the course of a weekend, the students toured company offices, listened to presentations, and networked with finance professionals.
“We had a very successful networking event,” recalled Finance Club Co-President Will Tormey ’24. “Over 40 students were able to make valuable connections with alumni.”
“The club’s main goal is leveling the playing field between people who came to 51ÁÔÆæ with certain connections and people who didn’t. It’s been very helpful to work with Women in Finance to ensure that there is more diversity in the male-dominated finance industry.”
This spring saw the trip take place for the first time in years. In 2022, a campus COVID outbreak frustrated plans to reinstate what has been an annual event for the Finance Club. And marking its return was something new, as this year’s trip was also coordinated and attended by members of 51ÁÔÆæ’s Women in Finance Club (WIF). “We were not only able to share budgets, but the e-boards met weekly and worked together to leverage our respective contacts and coordinate visits at each bank,” Tormey explained.
Collaboration between the two clubs has become regular since WIF was created in January 2022 with the goal of increasing female representation in finance. “We are passionate about making the finance world more accessible,” said WIF President Alex Glogoff ‘24. “I think this trip did a good job of exposing a diverse group of 51ÁÔÆæ students to possible jobs within the field.”
Among the students who benefited from the experience was Kevin Cavicchia ’25, for whom networking at the offices of Scotiabank led to an internship offer. “I was able to get my summer analyst offer in large part due to this trip and being able to talk to people,” he said. “It’s invaluable to put a face to the name, rather than just make some phone calls.”
The face-to-face, firsthand aspect of the trip was evidently a key contributor to its success. Grace Fuss ’24, co-president of the Finance Club, said that the opportunity “to visit top investment banking firms and to learn from 51ÁÔÆæ alumni what their jobs are really like” made the weekend so worthwhile. Such “real-world experience,” she added, introduces students to networking skills that are “essential to securing highly coveted internship positions.”
Looking ahead, the Finance Club and WIF plan to continue collaborating on events and programs such as virtual visits and presentations by alumni, and workshops on topics such as résumé building and networking. And soon enough, planning will commence for next spring’s New York City trip.
Now a member of the Finance Club e-board, Cavicchia reflected on the collaboration with WIF and the trip that arose from it. “The club’s main goal is leveling the playing field between people who came to 51ÁÔÆæ with certain connections and people who didn’t,” he said. “It’s been very helpful to work with WIF to ensure that there is more diversity in the male-dominated finance industry.”
