During his time at Wooster, MJ made use of the resources that Wooster had to offer. With MJ’s interest in finance, experience with the Jenny Investment Club, and networking skills he was able to land an internship at Stifel. Stifel is a wealth management and investment banking firm. After a successful internship and his independent study (IS) thesis on the impact of acquisitions on shareholder value, MJ was recruited back to Stifel as an Investment Banking Analyst in 2023. “Build relationships, make friends, sometimes you have to be brave,” said MJ in his interview for this profile.
Mj was recruited as part of the 2023 “class” of analysts. Stifel recruits from many different schools including universities that have technical finance degrees. “Essentially, my job is to help my managing director gather and synthesize information” so that they can pitch ideas to our clients. When working on acquisitions, “it is important to understand the fundamentals” as this will help guide you in creating meaningful ideas to clients. Fundamentals can be defined as a high level understanding of how supply, demand, and pricing drives markets. MJ credits his exposure to the “fundamentals” to the Economic Department of Wooster. The classes he draws from in his current job include Intermediate Micro, Organization of the Firm, Macroeconomics, and Global Exchange and Trade, but also critical thinking and writing more broadly. “These fundamentals are not just taught but drilled into students as we take subsequent classes. Organization of the Firm was comparable to a MBA class! Plus, we must show we understand these concepts when we do IS.”
After his internship second internship at Stifel, MJ returned to Wooster to work on his senior thesis. He was expecting to work with one of the Finance professors but instead got to work with a visiting professor that had a background in antitrust laws. Undeterred, he began reading and writing literature reviews on various aspects of firm acquisitions drawing from his advisor’s knowledge, his previous classes, but most of all his curiosity about the topic. While he was working on his IS, he applied for and was accepted into an emerging finance professionals mentoring program. His mentor used the case study approach to expose him to different aspects of acquisitions. His mentor would ask him to study primary sources to understand how major acquisitions were structured. Then they would talk, all in all 3-4 times a semester. These experiences collectively help him understand a lot more about acquisitions and prepared him for his current role in banking.
Mj’s words of wisdom for Wooster students are to use the resources of your school. For him, his mentors, professors, and classes were key. “Most people don’t use APEX. I look at so many resumes that are not tailored to the job that they are applying for! Use the Career Services Tools. This was an early lesson from Dr. Abramo that I took to heart. Also, network and become a trustee of the Jenny Investment Club. Be friendly, don’t be aloof… mostly be brave. Sometimes you must take a shot in the dark.”