November 12, 2009
On
Wednesday, November 4, 2009, 39 St. John’s University undergraduate
and graduate
students gathered in the financial district of New York City to
participate in the 8th Annual Alumni Insider’s View…Day on Wall
Street. This unique program brings current students together
with successful alumni who work in major financial firms, offering
them a behind-the-scenes look at the financial services
industry. The day-long program, in which alumni share their
personal and professional expertise, includes panel discussions,
networking opportunities and visits to selected financial
organizations.
Photo Gallery
Student's
View ... Day on Wall St. - David Hadizadeh '07C, '10MBA
Student's View ... Day on Wall St. - Ying Ting Xie '10MBA
Students began their day with a breakfast presentation at
Fidelity Investments, one of the program’s corporate sponsors and a
member of the St. John’s Council for Social Responsibility.
During the presentation Robert J. Adams ’84CBA, ’88MBA, Executive
Vice President engagingly described the career path that led him to
Fidelity, informing the students that the ethical values that they
are learning as part of the St. John’s experience will serve them
well as they enter their future professions. Adams responded
to numerous student questions about the financial services industry
in general and Fidelity Investments in particular, including how
Fidelity successfully balances its business needs with responsible
customer service.
The
next stop for the group was the New York Stock Exchange, where
students learned of the history of the Exchange and how the process
of buying and selling securities has changed in recent years.
The visit was highlighted by an overview of the actual trading
floor where everyone marveled at the frenetic activity that was
taking place below them as traders executed their clients’
orders.
Following their time at the Exchange, students moved to
Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation (DTCC), another program
sponsor, where they were engaged by a panel discussion of DTCC
employees who shared information about the functions,
responsibilities and career opportunities within the
organization. William Corrigan ’92SVC, ’02MBA, Manager,
Learning Application Department moderated the panel and expressed
his appreciation for how St. John’s has developed this unique
program. “I can’t praise St. John’s enough and I think [this
program] is really great,” he said. “There really wasn’t this
type of program when I was an undergrad, and the opportunity for
the students to view all of these companies is really
fantastic.”
Thomas Joyce ’73CBA, ’77MBA, Director, Securities Processing
accompanied the group on a tour of the processing floor and the
DTCC vault, which serves as a primary holder of an extensive
collection of securities. Echoing the sentiments of his
colleague, Joyce was impressed with the overall program,
particularly with the quality of the students selected for
participation. “I’ve been involved with this program for the
past three years,” he said, “and it gets bigger and better every
year. Students this year are more in tune with what we’re
actually doing in the workplace, which I think is good. I
wish I had a program like this when I was in school.”
The next event of the day was a visit to Standard and Poor’s, also
a program sponsor, where students received information from various
corporate managers about contemporary business topics including
fixed income, equity research, risk management and employment
opportunities. Owen Ruhnke ’89CBA,Vice President, Finance
offered the students valuable suggestions about how to embark upon
a successful career search. “Generally speaking, you need to
know what you want to do,” he said. “You need to target
organizations you might want to work for, understand what kind of
job opportunities there are and network a lot. Taking your
resume and just posting it on a website for a job is a difficult
way to land a position.”
Ruhnke also stressed the importance of using the St. John’s
alumni network as a valuable career resource. “You need to
‘due diligence’ the alumni network as best you can,” he
advised. “You need to find an alumnus who can pitch for
you. Maybe he knows the hiring manager. You’ve got to
use the network, that’s the way to do it. Just going out
there is going to be tough.”
At the conclusion of the final presentation, students and alumni
gathered for an enjoyable and highly valuable networking reception,
allowing them to get to know each other personally and make
connections for the future. Keynote speaker
Steven D. Papamarcos Ph.D., Dean, St. John’s The Peter J. Tobin
College of Business, was grateful for the participation of the
organizations and individuals that added to the exceptional success
of the program. “The Alumni Insider’s View…Day on Wall Street
is one of the marquee events for our students,” he said. “It
gives them insight into the financial industry that they could not
get anywhere else. I want to thank our hosts and sponsors,
because without them and the alumni, this event would not be
possible.”
Students and alumni agreed that the personal interactions were
among the most important aspects of the program.
“An event like this is a great opportunity for us to meet St.
John’s University professors, students and other alumni,” remarked
Peter Pisapia ’94CBA, ’97L. “In this industry you need to do
a lot of networking and talk to different people in other
companies. And coming through St. John’s, it’s even
better.”
Joseph Sheperis ’09MBA concurred, noting that, “…the contacts I
made are helping me as we speak. It was very nice that the
University invited a lot of alumni, and it’s actually helping me to
make more contacts to get job interviews.”
“The Alumni Insider’s View…Day on Wall Street gave me a great
opportunity to network, not only with alumni but with my peer
group,” said Alina Berastsen, a senior majoring in Finance.
“One of the most important things I learned today is that I need to
adapt to change and differentiate myself. I got really good
tips that mattered to me.”
MBA student Jorge Vargas found the networking reception to be the
capstone piece of an incredibly useful and informative
experience. “What I liked most was the reception, where you
actually get to meet these people,” he said. “To be able to
speak to them one- on-one is certainly a huge benefit and resource
for all of the students involved. This program seemed like a
great opportunity, and that’s what it turned out to be.”