UMIG students take on the Big Apple and meet leaders in high finance

Associates from the University of Missouri Investment Group (UMIG) recently returned from the group’s annual recruitment trip to New York City, where students met with alumni and other professionals in the Big Apple’s high finance industry.

The weeklong trip provided participants with a variety of educational and networking opportunities for those interested in investment banking, private equity, asset management and other careers in capital markets. Through firm meetings, coffee chats and UMIG’s annual alumni reception, students had a chance to learn from and network with professionals from many renowned firms, including Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan, Morgan Stanley, Blackstone, Citi, Barclays, Perella Weinberg Partners, Jefferies, EQT, Stifel, Harpoon Venture Capital and Lepercq.

Jayme Opdahl, a senior in business administration with an emphasis in finance and banking and president of UMIG, said the trip provided students with valuable opportunities to explore various facets of the financial industry. 

“This trip was exceptionally special for me because this was my first trip as president and for the very first time, I got to organize meetings with all the major financial institutions that we met with and helped navigate students around the city,” said Opdahl, who will intern this summer with the investment banking division of Bank of America in Chicago. “We had a full schedule of meetings throughout the week, and we even got to sightsee, including a visit to Central Park, the Met and the financial district and the New York Stock Exchange.”

UMIG is sponsored by the Trulaske College of Business’ Jeffrey E. Smith Institute of Real Estate and Capital Markets, which enhances the Trulaske curriculum by providing support in the areas of real estate and capital markets. UMIG travels each academic year to visit Mizzou alumni working in New York, Chicago, Kansas City and St. Louis. 

“A heartfelt thank you goes out to all our alumni and friends of UMIG, who generously hosted us in the city, contributing significantly to the growth and development of our members,” Opdahl said. “Special appreciation is extended to Dean Balaji Rajagopalan and Finance Department Chair Sudip Datta for making this possible. Additionally, we would like to thank our advisors Kerri Hogan and Andy Kern for their support and guidance throughout the trip.”

The UMIG group meets weekly on Tuesday evenings in Cornell Hall, where members learn about careers in high finance, different methods of valuation and news surrounding the world of finance. After an eight-week bootcamp, members are then encouraged to apply for the upper-level Associate’s Program, which allows them to experience a competitive interview process designed to mimic the real interviews for jobs in capital markets such as investment banking and private equity. From there, members receive priority and exclusive access to the alumni network database, corporate trips – like the one to New York City -- technical finance training seminars, networking events with experienced professionals and resume drops.