Students enrolled in the Rankin College of Business’s Special Topics in Finance course recently returned from their spring trip to New York City.
The five students: Levi Graham, Neriah Brown, Aric Callaway, Aaron Brock and Stormi Harvey were accompanied by Dr. David Rankin, president emeritus and former dean of the RCB and Megan Whitehead, RCB instructor of finance, on the trip.
“It was an incredible opportunity and very interesting and eye opening for these students,” Whitehead said. The group departed Magnolia on a Wednesday and had a jam packed schedule for the weekend.
In addition to sightseeing trips to Chelsea Pier and the 9/11 Museum and Grounds the group also took a tour of the United Nations Building, visited Wall Street and toured Blackrock Financial and the Bank of America offices of Merrill Lynch.
For many, it was their first time to New York City.
“The students were very interested,” Whitehead said. “Especially seeing some of the younger people with careers in the industry. They walked away from the experience realizing if it was something they wanted from their career, it was certainly attainable.”
Students were able to put their analyst skills to work, talk with executives from Blackrock and Merrill Lynch and also talk one on one with peers their own age in the industry.
“Our trip to New York opened my eyes to how the finance world operates between clients, investment companies, and the financial firms,” said junior student, Levi Graham.
Graham is a finance and accounting major from Paris, Texas and aspires to pursue a Master’s Degree in Finance before eventually obtaining his CFA/CFP license to work in the Financial Services industry.
The group also got to pedal bikes around Central Park, see Phantom of the Opera on Broadway and attend a game at Yankee Stadium.
“It was an incredible experience. Seeing those iconic monuments in person was amazing. To be in the heart of New York and see the massive crowds and speed of the environment was great,” said Neriah Brown, senior. “It was nice to talk to important business professionals who just had a regular degree but we’re able to succeed in that very competitive environment, it gave me the confidence to believe I could do the same.”
The class originated with the goal of providing students at the Rankin College of Business more opportunities to enhance the global perspective.
“Travel is a great way for our students to build confidence,” said Dean Robin Sronce. “We want to empower our students to explore regional, national, and global opportunities.”
A generous alum offered to partially fund the trip this spring, and RCB hopes to offer the New York session every other year, with the hope of providing regional travel opportunities to cities like Houston or Little Rock in the intermittent years.
According to Whitehead, the goals of the session align well with the goals of The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business- the accrediting body of the Rankin College of Business.
The students returned home Sunday with full minds and tired feet.
Four out of the five will graduate in a few short weeks, and before that will give a presentation to RCB’s Business Advisory Council.
To view more photos from the trip check out RCB’s Facebook and Instagram pages.
