On Location in New York City

BY SIMRAN KAUR ‘26 BSB AND ANDREW PALIK ‘26 BSB

Success on Wall Street requires many things: hard work, intelligence, and tenacity, but also connections. For Carlson School students interested in this career path, growing their network in New York is essential. The On Location career trek each January provides undergraduate students with an unparalleled peek into New York City’s finance scene.  

This year, 19 students went On Location, where they had the opportunity to connect with alumni and professionals and visit firms. These experiences helped students build their knowledge about investment banking overall, and provided firsthand views into firm cultures.

On Tuesday, the group started with Piper Sandler, where students took in the fast pace of sales and trading alongside sky-high New York City views.

Their second visit was to Macquarie Group. An analyst presented to the group and then students networked with individual analysts from different industry groups.

The final visit of the first day was to TD Securities, hosted by Associate Chandler Sampson, ’18 BSB, who shared insights on the recruiting process and the intersection of technology and investment banking.

Wednesday started with the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to walk the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, see the opening bell ring, and hear from NYSE President Lynn Martin, who shared her journey from tech to finance. Mee Warren, ’01 BSB and Carlson School Advisory Board member, was there as well and was impressed by the students’ preparation and the depth of their questions.

“I can’t tell you how happy it makes me seeing the students' excitement at the exchange and how proud I am at how quick they were to ask really great questions,” she said. “So impressive...Thanks to you all, the future looks better and better!"

In addition to joining the students at the New York Stock Exchange, Warren hosted a breakfast for the six female students present. Women are underrepresented in the finance and investment banking industries, so Warren shared her journey as a woman navigating the finance industry and highlighted themes of allyship and perseverance in her career. Emerging women in finance were able to gain vital career advice and support for breaking into the industry.

“The breakfast and Mee’s impressive career showed the women on this trek that there is space for us in finance,” said Lilly Weber, ’27 BSB.

The group then headed over to Evercore where students had the rare opportunity to gain insights from CFO Tim LaLonde, ’86 BSB. LaLonde shared his journey and start at Evercore and the importance of adaptability in the industry and throughout his career.

The third site visit on Wednesday took place at Cantor Fitzgerald. Patrick Lawrence, ’27 BSB, found this a highly valuable stop because of “insightful tips from the junior bankers about the recruiting process and dynamics of industry groups.”  His biggest takeaway from the visit was the importance of relationships in the banking world.

Wednesday saved the best for last—the alumni networking event. UMN alumni working in investment banking, trading, venture capital, hedge funds, and private equity joined our students for a casual evening of connections. The event helped students visualize themselves succeeding in New York City. Students and alumni exchanged contact information to stay in touch as students work toward their next steps.

“When you think of New York, you think the best of the best. When you meet the alumni, they’re just normal people,” said Oscar Lopez, ’26 BSB. “I realized you shouldn’t limit yourself to Minnesota. Broaden your horizon. If the alumni can do it, you can do it as well.”

The group jumpstarted the final day by visiting Moody’s Investor Services and hearing from Jian Hu, ’99 PhD. Hu shared his experience with international private credit and the inner workings of the credit rating agency.

Finally, the experience  ended at one of the world’s top five investment banks, Citi. Students met with Vice President Rubens Feroz, '06 BSB, and Vice President John (Jake) Wythers, '15 BSB, '20 MBA, along with two junior bankers, for a Q&A session.

Greta Liner, ’27 BSB, found these visits to be a vital application of Carlson teachings outside the classroom. “It taught me the true balance of having both technical and soft skills,” she said. “It made me appreciate Carlson’s curriculum for hammering in soft skills at the front end of my education. It was a great firsthand experience on how these skills come into play just as much in the recruiting process.”

This unique On Location opportunity was made a reality through the efforts of Katie Hauge with Student Life and Career Design, Jennifer Hartigan and Kathy Weber from the Carlson Business Career Center, and the Carlson School’s generous alumni network.