by Yuhan Liu, MSFS ’16
Every January, the MSFS New York City career trip provides first-year students a chance to explore career opportunities in the public, private and non-profit sectors. This year the two-day trip, organized by Eleanor Monte Jones and Idara Nickelson with the help of the MSFS Concentration Chairs, included 70 students,150 alumni, and 40 lunch hosts and panelists.
The trip featured five panels: United Nations and International Organizations, Human Rights and NGOs, Communications and Marketing, Finance, and Finance and Development. Panelists spoke about their personal career development and answered questions from MSFS students. Izumi Nakamitsu (MSFS ’89), the Assistant Secretary-General of UNDP, was among the esteemed panelists.
Students also attended site visits at LiquidNet, UNDP, or Standard Chartered Bank, according to their career interests. Daniel Skaven Ruben (MSFS’16) attended the Liquidnet site visit, where Brian Walsh, the Head of Corporate Impact (and adjunct professor at Georgetown University), spoke with students. Mr. Walsh highlighted Liquidnet’s ‘Markets for Good’ initiative, which uses technology to address inefficiencies in the philanthropic sector. “It was simply inspiring,” said Mr. Ruben. “It reinforced my decision to focus my studies on the nexus of international relations and technology.”
Students also had the opportunity to have lunch with one or two alumni or friends of MSFS in small groups, allowing for more in-depth connections and conversations. The highlight of the trip was the alumni reception, which featured a talk by Former Treasury Secretary and current Co-Chairman of the Council on Foreign Relations, Robert Rubin. As the trip drew to a close, students were asked to reflect on the four MSFS core values: Leadership, Creativity, Ethics, and Service; and the way these values informed participants’ career paths and goals.