From DC to Wall Street, Alumni Provide Unique Perspective

Nothing compares to working on Capitol Hill or the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. And thanks to Alumni Insider’s View (AIV)…Programs throughout the fall semester, students had an opportunity to travel to these iconic locations and gain firsthand insight from alumni professionals.

AIV...U.S. Capital Photo Gallery

“Our students learn so much by traveling to where our alumni work and hearing from them directly,” said Elisa Douglas ’05C, Assistant Director in the Office of Alumni Relations. “In particular, Washington, DC and Wall Street are fascinating places to see up-close-and-personal, so I can’t thank our alumni enough for dedicating their time to help our students.”

At the 33rd Annual AIV…U.S. Capital program, students traveled to “the District” to participate in panel discussions and network with alumni who work in industries including law, politics, business, communications and more. For Milana Edwards ’14CPS, Public Relations major, the trip made her much more confident in her career path.

“At the networking reception, I met some alumni with connections at PR firms, both in New York City and Washington, DC,” she explained. “I’m hoping that this will lead to an internship or entry-level job after I graduate – you really never know where networking might take you.”

The program also included visits to Newseum, an interactive museum of news and journalism, and President Lincoln’s Cottage at the Soldiers’ Home, where the final draft of the Emancipation Proclamation was written in 1862. 
  
Meanwhile, the AIV…Day on Wall Street program brought Business students to lower Manhattan to meet with alumni and tour some of the city’s most respected financial institutions. Stops included Zurich North American Headquarters, the New York Stock Exchange, the Museum of American Finance and Standard & Poor’s.

AIV…Day on Wall Street Photo Gallery

Students later had an opportunity to network with the alumni during a special networking reception, exchanging business cards and chatting about how to kickstart a career in the world of Finance. Gary Chan ’97CBA, Managing Director, Global Head of Fixed Income Cash Products at J.P. Morgan, served as the keynote speaker.

“In today’s economic times, students are finding it harder and harder to find a stable and valuable career,” he noted. “For alumni, events like this are our way of giving back, and if students can gain an edge from what we have to say and what they’ve seen throughout the program, then that’s fantastic.”