This summer, 2024 UC Merced graduate Tatiana Howell is set to begin working as a wealth management analyst with Goldman Sachs. She got the job through tenacity, a strong work ethic and participation in an innovative program that prepared her and other students to work in the financial sector.
The UC Investments Academy educates, motivates and professionally trains students for careers in investing and finance, at no cost.
Originated by UC Chief Investment Officer Jagdeep Singh Bachher, the academy launched in 2022 with 100 students at UC Merced and has since expanded to include 1,000 students on campus and 4,500 throughout the UC system.
The academy has two tracks:
-
An intensive career track aimed at those who want to pursue the industry professionally and involves five to 10 hours of work per week.
-
A personal finance track, which is for those who want to learn more about managing their own portfolios and requires about a one-hour-per-week commitment.
"For years, we kept hearing about a 'pipeline problem' in the finance industry," Bachher said. "At UC, we're in the business of building pipelines. We saw the opportunity to turn talk into action - and the Investments Academy was our answer. It's about unlocking potential and creating pathways to success for our students."
In only three years, the academy already is seeing results.
"The academy is making a big impact on career readiness and job placement," said Brian O'Bruba, assistant vice chancellor for student engagement at UC Merced.
Howell took part in the program's first cohort, which is supplemental to regular UC courses. She said she was excited for the unique opportunity.
"I took a global markets and investment course with (economic and business management lecturer) Mark Harris, and he shifted the whole landscape of the class to be centered around understanding the industry," she said. "I got to meet the UC Investments team and do the Training the Street program as a final project."
Training The Street offers targeted courses in accounting, corporate finance, financial modeling, and valuation to academic, corporate and public enrollment clients. It is used by financial institutions worldwide.
"Students in the UC Investments Academy gain practical, career-relevant training that mirrors what entry-level professionals would receive at a top investment firm," said Economics and Business Management Professor Jason Lee. "The academy is designed to make the world of finance and investing more accessible, especially for students without prior knowledge or experience."
Tiler Fears, who came to UC Merced to play basketball, knew he was interested in business and finance.
"This academy provided a direction," he said. In addition to the training, the academy provided valuable networking opportunities that led Fears to two internships, one at Mercer Investments and one at L'Attitude Ventures.
Fears has since graduated and landed a job as a client account manager at Albourne, an alternative investment consulting firm.
"It was great being able to hear from different industry professionals and kind of just shaping my exposure to the industry," he said. Though the academy is a lot of work at times, he said he appreciated the ability to go at his own pace.
For Eshaan Kajani, the program led him into a new and unexpected direction.
"I did not know that much about finance other than paying taxes and bills before the Investments Academy," said Kajani, now a second-year law student at Georgetown University. "I joined my junior year after taking Economies of Investments and realizing how interesting financial markets were. The academy opened doors to learning more about the financial world and the way markets operate."
Kajani said he will be working in a law firm in a practice group that works with hedge funds and private equity firms, "the very same businesses I was learning about during my time with the Investment Academy."
Lee said students get four key benefits from taking part in the academy:
-
Hands-on technical training in financial modeling, valuation and investment analysis.
-
Invitations to live speaker sessions featuring industry professionals.
-
Financial literacy workshops that teach students how to build personal wealth and make informed financial decisions.
-
Career strategy sessions with members of the UC Investments team and other investment professionals who mentor students on how to navigate the job market.
"Most students leave the program with greater confidence and gain valuable connections in the finance world," Lee said.
The students agreed.
"I had a great experience," Fears said. "I think it prepared me mentally and physically, getting the training and knowing the lingo and industry terms and what these companies are expecting."
For Howell, the Investment Academy opened doors to opportunities she didn't know existed.
"You can work in these spaces that are almost Ivy League institutions," she said. "It's a place to go and learn as much as you can about being the best of the best in this industry."
For more information about the program or to apply, contact UC Investments at UCinvestmentsacademy@ucop.edu .
