12-09-2024
It's a privilege to have confidence in your sense of self and a clear direction for life. I feel honored to have both.
I came to Purdue determined to make an impact on the business school and cultivate a community of success. My proudest and most difficult accomplishment at Purdue would be elevating the Purdue Investment Banking Academy (PIBA). I had a simple mission in mind: lay the foundation for what could become the best investment banking program in the country. How would I achieve this? Through dedication, perseverance and leadership.
I joined PIBA during my freshman year when it was a much smaller organization with minimal resources and connections. I saw its potential from my first meeting through the incredible mentorship from senior members. Here, driven students learned about the investment banking industry and strived to network with professionals. In my sophomore year, I took over the leadership role. With a dedicated team, we were able to craft PIBA into an active and well-respected organization. Now, investment banking companies come to us looking for potential interns and employees. I have spent a significant portion of my college career developing the academy.
My first goal as president was to start a rigorous program. I contacted former PIBA members and asked what resources they would have wanted when they were in the program. Most said they wanted hands-on complex financial modeling, banking book recommendations and networking events with investment banking professionals. This is what I built into the organization.
The 16-week sophomore curriculum strengthens students' finance knowledge and business acumen as well as their investment banking skills and knowledge to prepare them for the recruiting cycle. PIBA expects sophomores to put in at least six hours of work each week. We hold weekly organizational meetings. Either a member of the senior advisory board or I lead a lesson plan then assign homework and give weekly quizzes.
I faced a learning curve when planning and leading lessons. I’ve held leadership positions as the vice president of signature events at the Purdue Larsen Leaders Academy and as the chairman of the advisory board and former president of the Financial Management Association of Purdue University, but this is my first time teaching complex financial concepts. It was intimidating, but with the trust my peers had in me, I grew into the leader they needed me to be. I taught them about mergers and acquisitions (M&A), complex financial models such as the discounted cash flow (DCF) model and the investment banking sell-side process.
I prioritized bridging the gap between students and investment banking firms. I set up meetings with senior bankers to inform them of our dedication, course curriculum and the achievements of our students. We hosted networking events for these professionals to become connected to PIBA students and learn more about our program. Some of the firms include Bank of America, Lincoln International, William Blair, Baird, Jefferies Group and Deutsche Bank. These firms now have PIBA alumni working for them and continue to come to Purdue looking for future interns and employees.
I knew that I wouldn't be able to make PIBA reach its full potential in my tenure as president, but I wanted to set its direction. I am happy to say the path has been laid out. I am confident that the future leadership of the organization will be able to take what I’ve made this organization and build upon it further. In a few years, this could be the best investment banking academy in the nation.
