Hobart and William Smith Colleges

14 January 2007 With the help of alums, HWS students get an insider's view of Wall Street

The holiday break can be a chance for rest and relaxation, but for some Hobart and William Smith Colleges students, it was also an opportunity to experience the inner workings of the financial industry during the Wall Street Event hosted by the Career Services Office. How was it? said Jesse Leiter 09, who attended the event, In one word, awesome.

The students, led by faculty and staff, visited many of the iconic financial institutions of Wall Street, including Oppenheimer, the New York Stock Exchange, Merrill Lynch, Bear Stearns, Credit-Suisse and J.P. Morgan on Dec. 20 and 21.

Click here to view a gallery of images from the event.

The trip exceeded my expectations as I learned so much about each company and witnessing the NYSE floor was pretty extraordinary as well, said Leiter. The trip increased my desire to find an internship where I can learn more of the material that was presented on these two spectacular days in New York City.

Fellow participant Lindsey Ferrell 08 agreed. The two days were packed with mock interviews, investment banking and sales and trading presentations, networking and getting advice from top HWS alums on Wall Street, she said. One of my favorite parts of the experience was speaking with alums at a networking event on the first night. Many alums attended, which enabled us to talk one on one with alums that had great insights and stories about their experiences.

Alumni and alumnae who helped make the event happen included Sean McCooey 78, Trustee Mike Gantcher 92, Ted Niedermayer 84, Jim Lilly 83, Steve Lipman 83, Tom Schmidt 88, Gerry McGinley 85, Will Brame 06, Colby Feane 06, Chapin Bates 81 P09, Jim Ramage 81 and Hugh Leoni 01.

The trip was so rewarding, said Leiter because we met with outstanding former alumni who were extremely altruistic in their efforts to convey to us what it is they do everyday. It was clear they all cared about our interests and I found all of the conferences very informative and helpful.