Finance students from the University of Oregon went on a trip to Wall Street to enhance their education with experiential learning opportunities. The students were able to interact with various financial firms such as Barclays, Galaxy Digital, 22v Asset Management, and Bloomberg. The main objective of the trip was to gain valuable insights into how various financial organizations operate and, ultimately, to deepen students’ understanding of finance concepts and explore potential career paths.
The students were excited about the opportunity to visit these firms as it gave them a chance to learn first-hand, outside of the walls of a classroom. Besides, students also had the opportunity to have face to face interactions with industry experts, giving them an insider’s perspective over organizations in the finance sector.
During their visits, the students interacted with seasoned Wall Street professionals who were happy to share their knowledge and experience with the next generation. Even Mike Bloomberg gave a talk on finance journalism and shared his insights on the election processes.
Furthermore, the students observed the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in action, which helped them understand how the world’s largest stock market runs. This was a unique experience for these students as they covered the ins and outs of the financial industry, and saw it firsthand, putting into practice theories learnt on campus.
Bloomberg was one of the stops that stood out because it offered the students an in-depth understanding of what goes into making financial news. They were shown how Bloomberg sees financial news and edits the articles for the financial world. As for Barclays, they gave the students the essence of Investment Banks that provide clients with a vast range of financial services like provisional underwriting and accepting institutional securities, creating markets for clients in currency, equity, credit, and commodity products, and so on.
22V Asset Management walked the students through their vision and gave them a picture of how they hope to conduct their business in the future using artificial intelligence, which amazed the students. At Galaxy Digital, blockchain technology was the topic of discussion, and it was a specialty that captivated the attention of the students who were interested in how blockchain technology could revolutionize financial systems.
The primary source of funding for the trip came from both the university and the finance department which makes it one of the biggest reasons why the students felt prepared and assured for this experiential learning opportunity. The students were grateful not only for the funding but the guidance and support they were given by their finance faculty members throughout their journey.
This trip gave the student a head start towards future career opportunities as well as allowed them to gain exposure to the finance industry. The trip gave them the ability to financially network with individuals in the field, which led to open doors and contacts with financial employers, leading to greater opportunities for future success.
In conclusion, the experiential learning opportunities offered at universities allow students to have access to networking opportunities and hands-on experience, leading to the success of their future careers. The finance department at University of Oregon did an outstanding job giving the students the once-in-a-lifetime experience of visiting a variety of financial institutions and further assuring their decision of going into the finance industry.
