November 07, 2008
A
group of some of St. John’s best and brightest students was treated
to a day of learning from some of the best and brightest
professionals on Wall Street.
Photo Gallery
The Seventh Annual Alumni Insider’s View...Day On Wall Street was
held on November 6, 2008 and 40 students enjoyed a full day of
interaction with alumni and friends of the University who
graciously gave of their time to discuss their careers and
companies. Fidelity Investments, The Depository Trust and Clearing
Corporation and Standard & Poor’s played host to the group who
departed from the Queens campus bright and early before heading to
the Manhattan campus for breakfast. Once there, attendees were
treated to remarks from former Day on Wall Street participants
Denise Duffy '04TCB, '06MBA, Kanika Bhasin '09MBA and Jency Jones
'03TCB, '06MBA who gave the group a sense of what to expect and
tips on how to make the most of their experience.
The first stop after breakfast was Fidelity Investments where
General Manager Amy Kauffman Sweeney introduced speaker Michael
Clark, President of Fidelity Institutional Products Group. Clark
kept the students enthralled with his entertaining remarks and
answered a multitude of questions about everything from the
industry to his professional experiences. Alumni Bryan Carter
'07MBA, Michael Keenan '97CBA, and Joseph Kroczynski '97CBA also
talked about their careers at Fidelity and offered advice on how
the students could put their best foot forward as interns which
could lead to employment after graduation.
After a hearty and filling lunch at Fidelity, the students were off
to The Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation (DTCC) where
Director of Diversity Daniel Hobson introduced a panel moderated by
William Corrigan '92SVC, '02MBA, one of the DTCC managers.
Panelists James Femia '83CBA, '88MBA, Managing Director of
Operations, Technology Consultant Keri-Ann Fornito '99C, and Nyron
Davidson, Director of the Office of Regulatory Compliance shared
information on the DTCC and their roles there. The students handed
resumes over to Patrick Holton, Manager of Staff Development, who
spoke briefly about the opportunities for employment available at
the DTCC. One of the highlights of the day proved to be an
exclusive tour of the Securities Processing Area and Vault by
Thomas Joyce '73CBA, '77MBA, Director of Securities
Processing.
The group didn’t have to go far to travel to Standard & Poor’s
(S & P) where Vice President and General Manager, Directory
Services Thomas Lupo '70Ed, '75MBA welcomed them and introduced
Peter De Boer, Managing Director of Strategy and Business
Development who gave an overview of S & P fixed income and risk
management and who advised the students to not give up in their
quest for careers. Steve Biggar is an analyst and heads up S &
P’s Global Equity Research and he also spoke to the group before
they heard from Steven Murphy '81CBA, Managing Director, Public
Finance and Gina Tarantino, a representative from S & P’s Human
Resources. Alumnus Owen Ruhnke '89CBA, Vice President, Finance,
also spoke briefly to the group and says the program has grown
tremendously in the past few years. “It gives students a real life
perspective of what it’s like in the financial industry,” he said.
“For the alumni that participate it gives a sense of really giving
back to the University.”
After a full day, the group moved to Bowne for a networking
cocktail reception and dinner for alumni and participants of
Day on Wall Street. Given the recent troubles in the financial
markets, attendee Kathleen Delehanty '88MBA said she was excited to
meet students who she hoped she might be able to assist. “I know a
lot of these young people are looking for jobs and I have a great
deal of contacts,” said Delehanty, who is a Certified Public
Accountant. “They seem to be very intelligent and enthusiastic and
I have had a diverse career and made many contacts that I think
could help them.”
Lubna Lundy '10TCB said the Day on Wall Street experience was
amazing and had given her much to consider. “I’m a management major
but now I am considering a minor in finance,” she said. “I am so
happy I was able to participate in this because it really gave me
an idea on what to expect in the workforce.” Krzysztof Lubas '03TCB
attended the reception and said that as a former attendee of the
Day on Wall Street event he knew how much the students appreciated
it. “It’s a really great program,” he said. “It influenced me when
I participated and I had a great time.”
Steven Papamarcos, Dean of The Peter J. Tobin College of Business,
gave remarks at the dinner as did Bill Schaeffer '73CBA, Director
of Alumni Relations. Alumni Insider’s View Day On Wall Street is a
premier program which offers eligible students an inside look at
the finance industry, networking opportunities and straight talk
from industry professionals about obtaining a career in
finance.