Creating Pathways to In-Demand Careers

Brennan students recently launched the Brennan Investment Club (BIC), a new hands-on organization that invites students to meet and discuss their own investment and trade strategies using an online platform. Founded by Anthony Nasca ‘19 in fall 2018, the club helps students increase their financial knowledge with hands-on experience and networking opportunities.

At this time, BIC doesn’t invest real money. Instead, members meet to discuss their ideas and trade using a platform called “StockTrak,” where they examine trends in investing and follow stocks to learn about investing in portfolios in the future. The club simulates real-world portfolio management scenarios by allocating funds, analyzing companies and markets, and managing a paper-trading portfolio.

In the future, BIC plans to host professional speakers, compete in student investment consortiums, and begin investing with real money.

Club advisor and Executive in Residence Ramiro Atristain says, “The goal is to improve students’ knowledge of the stock market and the world of investing, have some fun, compete, and walk away with an appreciation for how investing works and how challenging it can be.”

If you are a portfolio manager or finance professional who is interested in getting involved with the club as a guest speaker this fall, please contact Ramiro Atristain, Investment Club Advisor.

If you’re a student interested in joining the Brennan Investment Club, visit EngageDU for more details about upcoming meetings.

The Brennan School’s M.S. in Accounting delivers an online-based curriculum aligned to the CPA exam content, preparing students from a variety of backgrounds to successfully transition into a rewarding career as an accountant. The program’s cohort model enables students to collaborate closely with classmates while building a supportive network of dedicated professors. This fully-online, high-impact MSA provides a fast, flexible, and comprehensive path into the accounting field.

Learn more about the program—watch this new video.

The Brennan School is proud to have been invited to participate in the Internship Program sponsored by the Treasury Management Association of Chicago (TMAC), which provides real-world business experience to students. This year, Jorge Ramirez ’20 was the fall 2018 paid internship recipient, and Yesenia Soto ’20 is the spring 2019 recipient. The partnership with TMAC and the Brennan School represents a continuing collaborative effort.

At Dominican, the TMAC internship is a learning experience crafted around the student’s interests and the needs of the University Business Office. Interns work closely with our treasury professionals in the Business Office who mentor and guide them through their semester-long project.

Last fall, Jorge Ramirez joined the team at a time when they were short-staffed. Guided by the Business Office staff, he worked independently on an operational accounting project which focused on restricted gift funds and expenses. The application of this project provided an in-depth, real-world learning experience for Jorge that further developed his understanding of financial control mechanisms.

“The TMAC internship was an amazing opportunity to work in an environment where everyone was willing to provide guidance and [offer] valuable lessons that will last a lifetime,” Jorge says. “As the TMAC intern, I was able to apply the skills I was learning in my accounting classes to help the Business Office solve real issues. This opportunity gave me insight [into] aspects of accounting that allowed me to bring a new level of understanding to my studies.”

This semester, spring intern Yesenia Soto started work on an economic analysis of the University’s room and board pricing details, which may prompt a financial reevaluation of the current cost structure. This competitive market analysis is a project that has long-lasting impact and value, but one that the Business Office would not have had time to tackle had they not had Yesenia’s support.

“This is a great opportunity to learn from [professionals who] are intelligent and experienced in their field,” Yesenia shares. “Their advice is something I will treasure for years to come.”

Mark Titzer, University Vice President of Finance pointed out that “This is different from temporary labor. Knowing that these are exceptional students with an interest in business and finance, we try to go beyond to give them a meaningful experience and not just busywork,” says Mark Titzer, Vice President of Finance.

Mark and other members of the Business Office encourage the interns to think about how to operationalize their projects so that their work can continue to grow and advance the office’s goals. Because the office is willing to invest time to teach the students and develop the type of creative projects that business professionals would tackle, the students are thankful for the learning experience.

Jorge adds, “After completing the TMAC internship, I feel as though I have a better sense of what a project-oriented work environment brings. I now have a refined set of organizational and critical thinking skills to present to future employers.”

Experiential learning opportunities such as the TMAC internship leads to personal and professional growth for the selected students.