Hopkins Students Launch Finance Networking Event

By Kendal Enz

 

How do you get a leg up during the finance recruiting season? Network, network, network.

This past April, Johns Hopkins University (JHU) seniors Demilade Obayomi and Simon Osipov launched the Student Finance Networking Reception, an event that provides underclassmen with the opportunity to interact with juniors and seniors who have secured internships and full-time jobs on Wall Street.

“Building a network of peers is a prerequisite to success in any profession,” event attendee and senior John Corbett said, “and I think this event set the foundation for Hopkins students to begin building this network even before they leave campus and enter the professional world.”

While financial services and investment banking is the second most popular area of employment for JHU graduates, event founders Obayomi and Osipov noticed a surprising lack of community amongst students interested in finance, as well as a lack of support from JHU alumni on Wall Street. The Student Finance Networking Reception was created to help strengthen this community and to assist students in the finance recruiting process.

“Ultimately, we decided to pursue the idea because we understood the impact that networking, a culture of mentorship and a feeling of community would have on the success of future students as they seek to break into Wall Street,” Obayomi said.

The inaugural event, sponsored by The Center for Leadership Education (CLE) and The Center for Financial Economics (CFE), was a great success, with about 100 students in attendance. There was a strong showing from both experienced upperclassmen and underclassmen just beginning to pursue careers in finance. Juniors and seniors accounted for about 60 percent of the guests, with the remaining 40 percent made up of freshmen and sophomores.

“We were particularly pleased with how underclassmen took advantage of this opportunity to meet upperclassmen and get their contact information, which will be critical in building relationships and getting a leg up during recruiting season, which kicks off in the fall,” Obayomi said.

The majority of this two-hour event was devoted to discussion between under and upperclassmen, with only a short opening speech by the hosts, which included information on finance opportunities for students, such as the annual finance internship prep session in New York that is co-hosted by JHU alumni Max Islinger.

Junior Andrew Das, who attended the reception, said that the guidance he received from upperclassmen when he was a freshman looking to break into the finance industry was invaluable. Now, with two finance internships at Citibank and Barclays under his belt, he wants to pay it forward.

“When I was a freshman, I thought that coming from Hopkins meant I had no shot at landing a finance internship, but as I started to meet upperclassmen and hear their stories, I began to realize it was in fact very possible,” he said. “Upperclassmen were always kind and willing to help me, so I wanted to give back to the underclassmen in that same way.”

Along with providing underclassmen with the knowledge and resources necessary to succeed in finance, the Student Finance Networking Reception aims to celebrate those students who have received job offers from the most prestigious companies in the industry, known as “bulge-bracket” banks: Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Barclays, Citi, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan, Morgan Stanley and UBS. While statistics are still being compiled by the Career Center, unofficially speaking, 15 students from the graduating Class of 2015 have secured positions at seven of these companies. By recognizing the achievements of these students, Obayomi and Osipov hope to inspire future classes of JHU students to achieve even greater success.

The reception also provided a casual setting for students to meet classmates who will be working or interning for the same companies. For instance, Corbett discovered that a classmate he had never spoken to before will be interning at the same company he is starting at full-time this summer.

“I think this is a very clear example of how this event provided a benefit to students by creating an environment where we could learn something new, even about people we’ve taken courses with but may have never gotten to know outside the classroom,” he said.

Event Co-Founder Osipov stressed that the reception could not have taken place without the assistance of the CLE and the CFE.

“The CLE and CFE saw value in this event because they truly care about the college and professional careers of their students. We are excited that they were the sponsors for the event and look forward to hearing about the success of this event in future years,” he said.

In addition to the support provided by the CLE and the CFE, Obayomi and Osipov had help organizing the Student Finance Networking Reception from rising seniors Evan Adamo, Genevieve Crawford and Andrew Das. After Obayomi and Osipov graduate later this month and head to their new positions as financial analysts at Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, the event will continue under the leadership of these three students. Islinger — who is an associate at Melody Capital Partners, LP in New York — also assisted with the event by advising Obayomi and Osipov throughout the planning process.

The Student Finance Networking Reception will be held annually at the conclusion of the finance recruiting season every April. Details on the next event will be announced via email in the spring of next year.