Charlie Trense

Surrounding Myself With Extremely Bright and Talented People

Through the Notre Dame Institute for Global Investing, I have been challenged in a number of different ways. Being a part of the Leaders program has opened my eyes to the plethora of opportunities within the world of finance. Along the way, I have developed meaningful relationships with not only mentors who have advised me, but also with my classmates in the program who are experiencing similar opportunities to those I experience. Without fail, at every NDIGI talk or event that I attend, I am amazed at the depth and breadth of knowledge of both the speaker and of my peers in the audience who oftentimes drive the questions. It is through attending these events that I have developed an appreciation for the intricacies of investing.

Opening Doors

During the fall of my junior year, I had the opportunity to work on a team with three other NDIGI Investment Management Leaders on a case competition that revolved around restructuring a pension plan. It is safe to say that none of us had any background in pensions, but we all had a desire to learn, and NDIGI provided us the framework to do so. Over the course of six weeks, we received advice from a handful of pension fund managers, including a Notre Dame graduate, that proved invaluable for the success of our case. Ultimately, we were invited to the Finals at McGill University in Montreal. This experience was a focal point of several internship interviews that year and enabled me to learn alongside my peers on a project that we could encounter after graduation. Additionally, I’m looking forward to the Applied Private Equity Projects class in Fall 2018, as it will give me real-world caliber experience in private equity. Without NDIGI and the opportunities that it has provided, I do not think that I would have been able to have the career opportunities that I have had to date.