Through immersive Career-Ready Experiences, such as treks to New York City, the financial capital of the world, Gettysburg College students bolster their knowledge and skills to graduate prepared to succeed in their careers.
When Brian McIntosh ’01 wanted to break into the finance industry after starting his career at IBM, he reached out to the Gettysburg Network and received hundreds of contacts from Gettysburg College’s career center . One by one, he hand-addressed envelopes enclosed with tailored cover letters and resumes, resulting in 150 offers to talk via phone or over coffee. More than two dozen interviews later, he connected with Matt Jones ’95 of Jefferies, a global investment banking firm. After almost weekly conversations with Jones checking in, McIntosh landed his first job as an equity salesman at Jefferies and began his career in the industry.
“One of the major reasons I got that job was because of Gettysburg College, the Network, and Matt Jones,” said McIntosh, a managing director at Piper Sandler. “I owe a lot to them.”
Lessons of networking, skill-building, and skill articulation from McIntosh and fellow Gettysburgians within the expansive Gettysburg Network were key takeaways for 12 Gettysburg College students during an immersive investment banking trek to New York City in January. The two-day trip included visits to Goldman Sachs, Lancor, MUFG Securities Americas, and Piper Sandler.
“I joined this trek to gain clarity on what I want to do, what the industry is, what actually makes me happy, and get insight into what the future may look like,” said Omer Shamil ’27, a mathematical economics and public policy double major and writing minor from Pakistan. “That clarity is important and that’s what Gettysburg is there for. I now know what the finance market and the industry require. I want to do financial consulting, so this is more confirmation to myself. It’s very insightful to learn everything.”
Supply and demand
At Gettysburg College, students interested in getting their start in the finance industry can now declare a finance major beginning in the 2025-2026 academic year. They can also take advantage of Career-Ready Experiences like this one, made possible by the Center for Career Engagement and connections through the Gettysburg Network.
Economics Prof. Brendan Cushing-Daniels and Management Prof. Patturaja Selvaraj, the recently named co-chairs of the new finance program, also traveled to New York to gain industry insights as they build the curriculum for the coming year. They plan to host similar trips to top global financial hubs from New York City to London on a quarterly basis.
“Our goal for this trek, as the finance chairs, is to better understand what the industry wants so we can better customize the new program to their needs,” said Selvaraj.
Since Cushing-Daniels started teaching finance at the College 20 years ago, he has witnessed the demand for a finance major increase exponentially among the student body, including several students expressing interest in starting an investment trading club. During the trek, Sean McElwaine ’19, a former Bullets men’s basketball player and current investment banking associate at MUFG, shared how he took financial modeling courses when he was a student to help get ahead and used the Gettysburg Network to learn about the different opportunities on Wall Street. This new major helps meet that demand.
“One of the major goals, for our students and their parents, is that they are gainfully employed when they get out of here, so it is mission-critical,” said Cushing-Daniels. “This is central to what our customers want, and so we have to do a good job of providing them that, and that helps us move the demand curve.”
With the help of several faculty and staff, Cushing-Daniels and Selvaraj plan to open a set of Bloomberg terminals on campus for students to gain essential technical skills, like mastering finance functions in Excel, and earn the required certifications to enter the finance world. The New York executives also repeatedly stressed the enduring skills needed to succeed in the industry, like communication, leadership, and teamwork. The finance program will provide additional coaching and mentorship to help build those industry-relevant proficiencies.
“As I recruit on Wall Street, I’ve always been most impressed with the wider offering of a liberal arts background,” said Jon Guss P’27, MUFG’s head of structured solutions and financing sales. “Bring your entire toolkit to work. It’s not about just getting the business done—it’s can you converse and build relationships with your coworkers, and more importantly, the banks’ clients?”
Niche market
From Toyota cars and Sunrun solar panels, to the aviation industry being dubbed the “tale of two cities” with it collapsing during COVID-19 pandemic and then making a striking comeback, Gettysburg students got an inside look into their potential future on the trading floor in New York.
At each stop on Wall Street, they learned about consumer data, financial policies, securitization, stock buybacks, tariffs, and more, improving their knowledge of the field and their various career options, such as being an investment banker or a quantitative analyst. They also received valuable tips of the trade for the recruiting cycle, including how to stand out among competitors in resumes and interviews.
“When I saw this opportunity, I thought this was great to get out there and explore what the market is like and find out what I would like to do in the future,” said Solangel Hernández López ’26, a Bronx native who is double majoring in business, organization, and management and Spanish and Latin American studies. “I took a class with Prof. Patturaja last semester on organization theory, and I was talking to him about the new major. I want to learn more about it, not toward the numbers side, but more so management. Within the business sector, you can still find your place. Everyone has a niche. You just have to know what you want to focus on and work hard on it.”
Executives also advised the students to continue be lifelong learners, as even “some of the smartest people in the world don’t beat the market,” McIntosh explained.
“In a Zoom world, the differentiator is getting in a room. Get in the room to listen and learn,” added Scott Hildenbrand ’99, the chief balance sheet strategist and head of Piper Sandler financial strategies. “Everyone has an advantage—find yours and get really good at it. The intellectual curiosity needs to keep coming out.”
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By Megan Miller
Photos by Matthew Musser
Posted: 01/29/25