Last week, the FFA’s Diversity in Fund Finance group ("DFF") hosted its annual teach-in event for Baruch College undergraduates in New York. Bankers and lawyers from the fund finance industry attended the event with full arms of company swag goodies that the students loved. Kyrstin Streeter of Reed Smith and Natasha Puri of Lloyds Bank led a high-level presentation on the ABC’s of fund finance, followed by an opportunity for the students to ask questions and interact with the industry attendees.

The students are part of Baruch’s Financial Leadership Program, which is targeted to diverse high-performing students interested in careers in finance. Students must apply for acceptance to the program and take this on in addition to their coursework in order to gain pre-professional training on technical, leadership, and professional skills. They have partnered with top firms that present on a wide array of topics ranging from financial modeling to mock interviews to presentation skills.

This is the 6^th year that DFF has had the privilege to work with these bright students. The event is always enjoyable, and the students appreciate the opportunity to interact with professionals in our market and learn about our industry and the different career paths available – in prior years their feedback has included that the DFF event was the “greatest presentation of the semester”.

If your organization may be interested in recruiting from this program please get in touch to learn more, as DFF can also share the resume books of these students. DFF is always looking for more volunteers to be involved in our mission, if you’d like to join our events or have any ideas to share please reach out to Natasha Puri.