This January, NDIGI partnered with the Wall Street Club to host a freshman career trek in New York City. 20 first year students joined the trek, which was designed to expose students to the buy and sell side to help them explore career options.
NDIGI Managing Director Erin Bellissimo led the group to 10 firms over the course of two days. This crash course on both buy-side and sell-side firms educated the students on the various opportunities for careers in finance. The students valued the opportunity to learn about the breadth of careers in the financial services industry, what a typical day in the office looks like and also general life in New York City. Notre Dame alumni at firms including Blackstone, Evercore, TPG, Permira, J.P. Morgan, Junto Capital, The Jordan Company, and Goldman Sachs related to the first years’ career discernment process from personal experience and offered helpful advice and guidance. “I was very overwhelmed with the sheer generosity of ND alums, and I feel I have a pretty strong grasp on what different Wall Street firms do,” said trek participant George Seyfried.
Career treks provide students with invaluable networking opportunities, key industry knowledge and glances into firms’ unique cultures. Trek participant Kayleigh Papa noted, “This trek was an incredibly valuable experience that I feel extremely lucky to have taken part in. I especially enjoyed the ability to interact one-on-one with the employees at the various firms we visited. They were able to provide helpful insights about the recruiting process, the realities of working at a firm on Wall Street and general tips about making the most out of one’s undergraduate experience. I know that the interactions that I had with these individuals will be crucial points of reference for me as I pursue a degree in finance.” The 20 freshmen walked away from this career trek armed with greater knowledge and insights to better prepare them for their career discernment process.