VSB Working on Wall Street
A $12,000 in prize money. Other competing schools included American University, Baruch College, Florida State University, Lehigh University, New York University, and Penn State University. VSB students earned special recognition from the judges for the quality and persuasiveness of their presentation. According to Lauren Lynch, “Our team emphasized connectivity; a modern style; access to arts and culture; and natural vegetation in our concept, creating a mixed-use destination that would transform Tysons Corner while providing a strong return to investors. It was an amazing learning experience for us to have the opportunity to pitch our vision for the project to such an impressive panel of real estate executives.” The Challenge featured two rounds of presentations, with the four finalist teams emerging from the morning sessions after deliberations by the judges. Following the student competition, the developer for the project, Aaron Georgelas of the Georgelas Group, explained the firm’s strategy for the project and answered questions from the participants. “Encouraging tomorrow’s leaders and facilitating their professional growth is essential,” says Michael Geoghegan PA ’11, vice chairman of CB Richard Ellis and member of the Daniel M. DiLella Center for Real Estate Advisory Council. “Villanova’s Real Estate Challenge provides the next generation of top industry professionals
diverse group of VSB undergraduate and graduate students recently had the opportunity to connect classroom theory to realworld practice when they traveled to Manhattan for a first-hand education in working on Wall Street. The day began with Masters of Science in Jacqueline “Jackie” Peloquin VSB ’11 and Lauren Finance (MSF) students Gallagher VSB ’12 network about careers in the financial services industry. participating in visits to Barclays Capital, where they took a guided tour of the equities trading floor, and to Bloomberg, where they had a behind-the-scenes look at the company’s operation and facilities. At each location the students heard valuable career advice from a panel of VSB alumni who work for the firms. Later that afternoon, undergraduate and graduate students came together when the Villanova University Financial Club—comprised of alumni who work on Wall Street and provide support to VSB students through a summer internship initiative, networking events, and a mentoring program—hosted 110 students from various majors and disciplines at the Princeton Club of New York for its annual “Working on Wall Street” event. During the program, the group heard from a panel of 10 VSB graduates who work in various capacities on Wall Street. The panel discussed the different types of jobs available in financial services and investment banking, what a typical work day is like, how trading companies go about recruiting new talent, tips on making résumés stand out, pointers for interviewing, new jobs created by regulatory reform, and strategies for pursuing advanced academic degrees. The seminar was followed by a reception during which the students were able to engage in one-on-one time with almost 75 VSB alumni who work in various parts of the financial services industry. These conversations allow for invaluable networking with previous generations of successful alumni and Villanova University Financial Club members and lead to great opportunities for students as they begin to build their professional network.
with a unique opportunity to experience the complexity and challenges of our business.” The competition was made possible through the generosity of top firms within the real estate industry, including lead sponsorships from Delphi Affordable Housing Group, CB Richard Ellis, and Ernst & Young. V
Connecting Theory to Practice “The purpose of learning theory is to help students become effective decision makers in practice,” says David Shaffer, PhD, chair of the Department of Finance. “This event not only exposes students to the realities of Wall Street, but also gives our alumni a glimpse into the high-quality Villanova students who are graduating - continued on page 39 fall 2010 | villanova business
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