I would be hard-pressed to find another time in my life when I was more excited or more nervous than the moment I stepped off the subway in New York City, suited up with two of my Wheaton classmates, en route to my first day at Barclays Investment Bank. As I stepped into the firm’s ornate and soaring skyscraper lobby, thoughts flooded my mind of the journey I took to get there. I couldn’t help but thank God for providing me with this opportunity to work on Wall Street. 

My time as a summer analyst at a New York City investment bank was a challenging time of learning and development. I worked incredibly hard and had to quickly adapt to the pace and rigor of a global financial firm. Not only did I learn terms, ratios, and processes, I also relied on my Christian liberal arts education as I thoughtfully considered my work and how God might be calling me to serve him in an investment banking environment. 

I’m grateful for the opportunity I was given, and for the assistance and mentorship of a particular Wheaton alumnus, Dan Winter ’98, within Barclays. Now I’m eager to take what I learned and help guide other students interested in the field of finance.