Pacific’s Student Investment Fund class experienced the financial world first-hand when they visited New York City in March. They toured Wall Street and the New York Stock Exchange. Students also met with seasoned investment professionals and learned what the day-to-day life of a financial analyst is like.
“It was something I always wanted to do, seeing the New York Stock Exchange and the Federal Reserve, and seeing all that in person. That was a really cool experience,” said finance major Jacob George ’23.
All students are in the Eberhardt School of Business Student Investment Fund. The class provides a rare opportunity for them to gain real-world experience in the U.S. stock market. SIF students manage an investment portfolio currently worth nearly $4 million.
Networking opportunity
While they were in New York, Pacific President Christopher Callahan hosted a reception at Bank of America Tower. That gave students the opportunity to meet with Pacific alumni who are finance industry professionals.
“The alumni reception at the Bank of America Tower was probably the most amazing experience of my college career, especially just being in New York, really getting to meet some finance professionals,” said marketing major Erin Brown ’23.
The students were also able to meet Pacific Regent Evan Dreyfuss ’86. His Wall Street Fellows endowment pays for SIF’s annual New York trip.
“[He] saw how important this was for the students to take all their skills, go to the financial hub of the world and participate in an exciting hands-on experience in New York City,” said Lewis Gale, interim dean for the Eberhardt School of Business.
Students also visited the investment banking firm, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods. They spoke to analysts about their jobs and learned valuable job search insights.
“We got a lot of take-aways, advice on how to do a better job as an analyst,” said finance and accounting double major Yiwen Shang ’22. “And that’s really a helpful resource when we are trying to enter our career path.”