Martha and Spencer Love School of Business Fellows explored professional opportunities and diverse industries in the economic hub.
By Erin Manchuso '19
Thirty-three sophomore Business Fellows traveled to New York April 8-10 to network with employers, learn about industries of interest and consider future career opportunities.
The Fellows split into two groups and visited a number of firms aligned with their future career interests. Accounting and finance majors visited Bank of America, Morgan Stanley, BlackRock, Bloomberg, Rockefeller Capital Management, Richard Bernstein, and Ernst & Young. Marketing, entrepreneurship, management, and economics majors visited FactSet, Google, Ralph Lauren, Intersection, CSM LeadDog, Omnicom, and charity: water. The two groups came together for a networking event at Credit Suisse’s New York office, hosted by Elon alumnus Shane Powers ‘99.
Accompanying the fellows were Tina Das, Lincoln Financial Professor of Economics and director of the Business Fellows Program; Jon Bae, assistant professor of finance; Danielle Golinski, assistant director of career services for the Love School of Business; and Brooke Buffington, senior associate director of corporate and employer relations for the Love School of Business.
The company visits exposed students to important changing industries competencies. “The ability to code and work with computing languages such as Python, Java, and R are becoming increasingly valuable skills within the finance and accounting industries,” said Evan Mooney ’21, an accounting and management (business analytics) double major from New Jersey. “Nearly every employer seemed to believe that the world is heading toward automated computers and artificial intelligence, which ultimately influenced my decision to pick up a minor in computer science.”
Students also benefited from networking with alumni. “The trip showed me how strong our alumni network is despite Elon’s smaller size,” Thea Vunk ’21 said. “The Elon alumni we met are more than willing to help current students fulfill their professional goals and share insightful advice.”
The experience taught students what it takes to make it in highly competitive industries, thus broadening their career horizons. “Being in New York opened my eyes to a whole new job market full of endless opportunities for business students,” shared Ben Mulholland ‘21. “I learned it takes hard work, enthusiasm and persistence if you want a career on Wall Street, but those who make it are rewarded with an unbeatable knowledge of financial markets and how money moves in America to help businesses everywhere. It was an experience that has changed the way how I will view my final two years here at Elon.”
“I am so grateful to have had this experience as a sophomore through the Business Fellows program since it allowed me to learn firsthand about the many career options in the financial services industry and helped me begin to think about what career I want to pursue,” said Vunk, a finance major from Vermont.
The Elon Business Fellows program blends classroom learning and real-world experience to prepare emerging business professionals to take on the leadership challenges in their professions, organizations and communities.
The program adds an extra dimension through dedicated team projects, specialized cohort classes, a Winter Term study abroad experience, company site visits, a four-year professional development plan and senior seminars involving managing a $250,000 portfolio or consulting for a company.