Hello! My name is Mike Mikkelsen and I am currently an Investment Banking Associate at Jefferies in the Global Industrials Group in New York. I grew up on Long Island and graduated from Boston College in 2017 double majoring in mathematics and economics. I started my career in Operations at Barclays, and from there switched to the Equity Capital Markets group at Jefferies as a lateral hire. Most recently I internally transferred at Jefferies into the Global Industrials Group. It has taken me a few years of research and networking to reach the position I am in today, and that is largely due to the lack of publicly available resources about the many different paths you can take within finance. I’m more than happy to share my path and chat with anyone about networking, interview prep, life, etc.

My name is Daniel Markowitz and I am an associate at Citadel. Previously, I was an equity research associate at Evercore ISI, based in NYC, where I covered the Health Care sector, with specific focus on Life Science Tools, Diagnostics & Medtech. Prior to this, I worked as an analyst at a start-up Healthcare hedge fund and as a Summer Analyst (internship) at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in Equity Capital Markets (ECM). I chose to study Finance at the University of Richmond given the competitive nature of the industry, along with the opportunity to make a significant impact. I am happy to help out however I can, whether you want to chat on IB vs Equity Research vs S&T, the Healthcare sector, or interview / internship prep.

My name is Bryan Kozin and I am currently an investor at Lindsay Goldberg, a private equity firm focused on leveraged buyout and growth capital investments in middle-market companies. In this role, I create partnerships with families and founders to build businesses. Prior to Lindsay Goldberg, I was an investor at CI Capital Partners, a middle-market private equity firm focused on working with entrepreneurs to transform small- and medium-sized companies into market leaders through investments in organic growth and add-on acquisitions. I started my career in Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s investment banking division after graduating magna cum laude from Elon University with a BSBA in Finance. I am originally from Philadelphia, PA.

My name is Max Meyer, and I am currently and MBA student at Wharton. Prior to Wharton, I was a Private Equity Associate at TH Lee. Previously, I was an Investment Banking Analyst at Goldman Sachs in NYC and in investment banking at Stifel in the TMT M&A practice. I graduated from Tulane University in 2019 with a B.S.M. in Finance. I did my summer internship at J.P. Morgan in the middle market banking group. I took a bit of a circuitous route to land my current role and have learned valuable lessons along the way. My impetus for working in investment banking was largely shaped by my deep passion for learning and desire to excel in intense environments. Finance has always intrigued me, and I took my time to figure out where exactly I wanted to drive my professional endeavors. Throughout my career, I have participated in summer analyst recruiting, full-time recruiting, and lateral recruiting. If you need advice on any of these areas, please reach out to me!

Hello, my name is Kiran Patel and I am currently a senior investment analyst at KrisDan Management, Inc., a single-family office, based in Naples, FL focused on evaluating public and private companies along with money managers. Prior to joining KrisDan, I worked as an investment analyst at another single-family office called Windancer Holdings, LLC in Dayton, OH and worked as a sales & trading associate (interest rates and foreign exchange derivatives) at Fifth Third Bank in Charlotte, NC. I graduated from Wake Forest University in 2018 with a major in economics and a minor in entrepreneurship & social enterprise. Through mentorship, cold-emailing, and internships I was able to attain a robust base of knowledge amongst many finance career path opportunities, so I am happy to help from anything such as mock interviews, informational interviews, networking introductions, market questions, career path opportunities, opinions on firms, etc. I have experience interning in financial advising, asset management, outsourced-CIO/endowment management, coverage + product investment banking, equity research, and wealth management.

I am an investment banking analyst based in New York working at Deutsche Bank as part of the Strategic Equity Transactions Group within capital markets. I graduated from Loyola University Maryland in 2021 with a double mayor in finance and marketing in addition to a minor in entrepreneurship. I pursued a career in finance because I wanted to work in a challenging environment where I would be able to develop professionally while seeing the real-world impact of my work. As a Dominican citizen with limited work authorization, I had a unique recruiting experience pursuing opportunities in the United States. Through this, I learned a lot about the challenges that come with investment banking recruiting. I would be happy to share everything I learned throughout my recruiting process and help in any way I can. Feel free to reach out if you are interested in having a chat!

Hi, my name is Sean Hamada. I am currently a first-year analyst in Carlyle’s New York office, where I focus on investment opportunities in liquid credit securities. Previously, I graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 2021 with a BA in Economics. Since my university lacked an undergraduate business program, my interest in finance was largely informed by older friends and a number of internships across private equity and investment banking. As someone who transferred from a junior college and recruited out of a regional-target, I have developed a strong appreciation for mentors and am always happy to be a resource for all.

Hi, I am a Consultant in Deloitte's Strategy practice based in Charlotte, aligned primarily to the Financial Services industry. I graduated from Davidson College in 2018 with a degree in Economics. Consulting attracted me because of the focus on problem-solving, mix of quantitative and qualitative analysis, exposure to senior leadership in various industries, and breadth of experiences available to practitioners throughout their careers. If you're interested in the consulting industry, the recruiting process, case interviews, specifically about Deloitte, or anything in between, I am more than happy to connect and have significant experience helping students who have been in your shoes.

My name is Ahan Patel and I am a private equity analyst at NewSpring Capital just outside of Philadelphia, PA. I graduated from Villanova University in the Fall of 2020 with a BBA in finance and economics. I pursued a career in finance for two reasons a) because I wanted to work in a field where I could work with, analyze, and invest in different businesses; b) I wanted to be surrounded by driven and ambitious people who wanted a career path with more involvement than the traditional 9-5, like myself. I’m happy to help out with any questions anyone may have regarding investment banking or private equity, as I recruited for and interned in both fields. Many people choose to enter finance through investment banking; given that I took a slightly different path, I’d love to be a resource for anyone looking to enter private equity directly from undergrad.

My name is Anja Mandic and I am from Bosnia and Herzegovina. I am currently in my final year at the University of Richmond where I am majoring in Economics. Most recently, I interned as an investment banking summer analyst at Jefferies in NYC where I will be returning as an analyst in their Metal & Mining group after graduation. I decided to pursue a career in finance as I always wanted to pursue a fast-paced career that would allow me to learn in a challenging environment surrounded by high-caliber professionals. As an international student coming from a non-target school, I can provide helpful insight on how to build a network, learn about different careers within finance, and identify a career path. Moreover, I can help you overcome several obstacles international students typically face relating to visa processes and provide advice on how to succeed in a competitive job environment.

Hi all! I am currently an investment banking analyst at Barclays based out of New York City. I graduated from Vanderbilt University where I studied economics and helped lead the undergraduate finance and investment clubs. Prior to my current role, I gained internship experience in asset management, real estate private equity, public finance, and debt capital markets at a variety of different firms. I am happy to speak with you about my different experiences, offer any advice I can, or just be a sounding board for your career decisions / anything at all! Diversity in the workplace can present itself in many different ways and regardless of your background, ethnicity, race, gender, sexual orientation, disability or socioeconomic status I believe that everyone should have the opportunity to pursue the careers of their choice. Please do not hesitate to reach out, even if it's just for Nashville bar and food recommendations.

Hi, my name is Giovanni Petronelli and I am an Intermediary Sales Consultant at T. Rowe Price. Starting my tenure at T. Rowe as a summer intern in 2017, I returned to work full time after graduating from the University of Georgia with degrees in Finance, Risk Management, and International Business. Eager to return to my hometown of Baltimore and work for a global asset manager with a broad investment solution offering, T. Rowe Price was the perfect fit for me. Everyday I have the pleasure to work with Defined Contribution plan consultants to help them grow their businesses through partnerships ingrained beyond investments. I understand the competitive landscape of breaking into finance & I am happy to offer advice or my experience as I navigated the recruitment process.

My name is Dino LaValle. I am currently a private equity associate at The Jordan Company based in New York City. Prior to my time at The Jordan Company, I was an investment banking analyst in the Global Industrials Group at Jefferies in New York City. I grew up on Long Island just outside of NYC before attending and graduating from Brown University in 2017 with a B.A. in Business Economics and where I was also a member of the varsity lacrosse team. For anyone out there coming from a liberal arts background or who is an athlete with no familial or educational ties to the finance industry, I would be happy to speak about my path breaking in and assist with any part of the recruiting process.

I am currently an Associate at RiverGlade Capital, in Chicago, IL. Prior to this role, I was a Leveraged Finance analyst at Truist Securities in Atlanta, GA. I studied finance and accounting at Clemson University and graduated in 2017. Originally, I'm from the suburbs of Chicago. I chose to pursue a career in investment banking because it presented an opportunity for me to apply many of the principles I learned in my finance and accounting classes at college, and to interact with and learn from sharp-minded individuals. Not knowing many people with a background in finance motivated me to build my network in order to better understand how my role at Truist fit into the world of finance, as well as learn about potential career paths. For my first two years out of college I also supported and led undergrad recruitment efforts at my alma mater. During that time I had many conversations with students trying to figure out what path to take after college. I look forward to sharing my experience and knowledge of networking and undergrad recruitment with you.

My name is Andy Kleinlein and I am currently a private equity associate at Bessemer Investors in New York City. Prior to joining Bessemer, I was an investment banking analyst in the Leveraged Finance Group at Jefferies in NYC. Before Jefferies, I spent a year at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey (now Truist) as an analyst in the Syndicated & Leveraged Finance Group, where I interned the prior summer. I grew up in St. Louis, MO before attending and eventually graduating from Washington and Lee University in 2017 with a BS in Accounting and Business Administration. During my time at W&L, I played four years of basketball. I pursued a career in finance to develop a foundation, network and skill set that would be applicable to any career path. I can be of particular help to anyone who: i) goes to a liberal arts college and is looking to pursue a career in finance, ii) wants to make the leap from investment banking to private equity, or iii) needs advice on how to use your experience as a former student-athlete to your advantage. I'm happy to be a general resource for any other topics, as well.

My name is Connor Flanagan and I am currently a Program Manager at HQ, a Digital Currency Group subsidiary. I was previously an Associate on the Aladdin Implementations team at BlackRock in New York City, where I worked for ~4.5 years and interned as a Summer Analyst on the Aladdin Client Services (ACS) team. I graduated from the University of Richmond in May of 2018 and started back on ACS the following July. At BlackRock, I specialized in supporting our Trading and Execution Management tools across all of our institutional clients. Across both my roles, I gained expertise in financial technology consulting, client engagement and product management. I believe that a career in FinTech is extremely valuable, as it provides non-stop learning opportunities in a fast-paced, creative and challenging environment. If you have any interest in learning more about my career path, or would like to enter into a career in either FinTech or Consulting, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

I am a private equity associate at Shoreline Equity Partners. Prior to joining Shoreline, I was an analyst at Jefferies in the Industrials Group. I graduated with a B.S. in Human & Organizational Development and minors in Economics and Corporate Strategy from Vanderbilt University in 2018. I pursued a career in finance for the challenge, variety of work, and high levels of responsibility. You should reach out to me if you are interested in learning about recruiting, the work associated with IB and PE, both as a whole and specific to junior-level roles, and the upsides and downsides of different geographies (I grew up in San Francisco, went to school in Nashville, did IB in Manhattan, and now work in Ponte Vedra, FL).

Hello, my name is Bjorn Hessen-Schmidt. I am originally from Palo Alto, California and I attended Cornell University where I graduated Phi Beta Kappa with degrees in both Mathematics and Economics. I am currently an Associate at Siris Capital Group and was previously a Senior Investment Banking Analyst within Citi’s Global Industrials Group. In addition to Investment Banking at Citi, my internship experience also includes bioinformatics research at Stanford University and data science at Two Six Capital.

Hi, My name is Tim Eber and I am currently an Acquisition Finance analyst at Truist Securities in Atlanta, Georgia. I graduated from the University of Georgia in December 2018 with a double major in Finance and Management Information Systems and I chose to pursue a career in finance for a few key reasons: the chance to surround myself and work with curious, intelligent, and high-caliber people, the significant responsibility and accountability assigned to juniors, and the challenge to think critically in order to work through complex problems. Since getting into banking, I have witnessed the recruiting process take place earlier each year, and it appears to me that more and more driven, intelligent, and motivated candidates who do not have access to resources and information are being left out of the process. If you are someone who feels that you might have an interest in a career in banking or finance but do not know where to begin or simply want to learn more about what life in banking may look like, I would be happy to be a resource to you and can provide advice from personal experience surrounding how to approach getting up the learning curve, recruiting, and the interview process.

My name is William Schoenecker and I am excited to talk to you and offer whatever guidance you may seek. My professional areas of passion are entrepreneurship, real estate, fintech, wealth management, cryptocurrency, and private equity. I’d love to help you decide which aspect of finance is right for you. I would be happy to give an in-depth guide on any of these topics and answer your questions about finance in general. Let me know how I can help you and I’ll give it my best!