Many Argyros School students never imagined that participating in the Argyros School’s “Walk Down Wall Street” course would help them find their career paths, but that’s exactly what has happened in many cases.

Walk Down Wall Street is offered each interterm session to about 30 Argyros School undergraduates, and includes a seven-day trip to New York City where students visit financial firms and stock markets.
Terence Burnham
, Ph.D., Associate Professor at the Argyros School, teaches the Walk Down Wall Street course in the four-week interterm session, and the New York travel portion comes after the three weeks of studying Finance 400.
Dean Reggie Gilyard
joins the class with Professor Burnham during the travel portion of the course.

This year, 32 students will be traveling to the Big Apple this Spring to visit NASDAQ, the New York Stock Exchange, The New York Federal Reserve, Goldman, Sachs & Co., JP Morgan, among other corporations. Joann Leatherby, long-time trustee of Chapman University and friend of the Argyros School, helps to make this trip possible with a generous donation. In addition to the work of engaging with Wall Street firms, students also experience cultural highlights such as the Lion King Broadway show and a New York Knicks basketball game. In addition, Dean Gilyard hosts a “Dinner with the Dean,” in which students are invited to talk to the dean about their professional goals and their New York experience among the many topics.

This year, the goal remains the same since its inception: to connect students with the Wall Street hiring network. It is safe to say that the goal has been accomplished with previous classes. Not only do students say that this is the most valuable class they’ve experienced, but they also say this course is “
education at its finest
” and “
life changing
.”

Student Taylor Carter bio photoTaylor Carter
’15

attended the Walk Down Wall Street course in 2014. He is now a Financial Analyst at NASDAQ in New York as a result of the course.

“This class was truly an amazing experience,”
said Carter
. “It really opened my eyes to the wide array of career opportunities available in the finance industry and on Wall Street.”
Carter was able to leverage his connections from the trip to score two interviews which were scheduled a week after the trip. He then landed a career at NASDAQ in New York.

Student Sean Thompson bio photoSean Thompson is another alumnus who benefitted from the course who is now a Junior Trader at First New York Securities where he works at the domestic equities desk to support a portfolio of stocks, options and futures.
While in New York for the course, he fell in love with the energy of the trading desk and the firm. When Thompson returned back to Chapman, he was hungry for that same energy, so when a West Coast-based trader from Quad Capital talked to Chapman students about how he manages money, Thompson connected with him and kept in contact with him. He ended up getting referred to the hiring manager at First New York Securities. Thompson also offers advice,

“If you are interested in a career in finance I would say do not feel shy about talking with the different company reps you meet while you are out in New York. That is going to be the major avenue for getting a job after you graduate. Also, you can get a feel for what the firm and job is like outside of their presentation. All of the reps are people like you and me so don’t be nervous to just talk to them and get to know them. “

Student Sean Dusselier bio photoSean Dusselier
’
13 also took the Walk Down Wall Street course and is now a Project Manager at NASDAQ in New York.
After visiting New York for the course Dusselier knew that he wanted to work on Wall Street, so he moved to the Big Apple in 2014. Shortly afterwards, Professor Burnham connected him to some folks at NASDAQ and Dusselier found his career path. Dusselier is grateful for Professor Burnham’s continual guidance even after he has graduated.
“Terry continues to be an instrumental mentor and friend to many of us, even beyond Walk Down Wall Street,”
said Dusselier. When reflecting on the Walk Down Wall Street course, Dusselier said, “
My favorite part of the course was talking with people who were working in the finance world day in and day out. Advice and insight straight from the horse’s mouth is invaluable.”

Student Allie Weber bio photoAllie Weber
’15
also went to New York with Dean Gilyard and Professor Burnham, and ended up landing a job as an Analyst at Goldman, Sachs & Co.
Following a stellar performance in a simulation game at Goldman Sachs during the trip in New York, Allie was recruited to apply, and credits her education at Chapman University and the Argyros School for preparing her to succeed. Her advice to students is to take advantage of the opportunities that arise, network and be willing to put yourself out there.

Student Michael Mehlaff bio photoMichael Mehlaff
’
13 currently works with NASDAQ as a Senior Financial Analyst within Global Technology.
Mehlaff also offers valuable advice for those who take the Walk Down Wall Street course in the future. He said,
“Chapman has developed a large network of professionals in New York, so I would advise future grads to use this opportunity to speak to them, learn about their positions, the companies they work for and the process they went through to get hired. Don’t be afraid to reach out.”

Mehlaff’s Global Technology Chief Financial Officer at Jim Dinan shared,
“Overall it was a productive experience for all, I am impressed with the quality of the Chapman students. They have represented themselves and Chapman with distinction and I am proud to have them on my team.”

Student Anna bio photoAnna Zayakina
’15
is another alumnus who went to New York for the Walk Down Wall Street course. She is now a Financial Analyst at one of NASDAQ’s global offices in Stockholm.
She will be moving back to New York soon to continue working with NASDAQ in a new role with expanded responsibilities.

“
The class gave me a unique opportunity to get insight into [NASDAQ] first hand allowed me to form my own opinion about it. I fell in love with the company’s culture and people right away. I got back to California with a firm decision to apply for a job at NASDAQ. But Walk Down Wall Street not only introduced me to the company of my dream; it also provided me with actual knowledge of the finance industry and a great understanding of the business culture in the United States. These skills were enormously helpful within my application process and internship itself. As a result, thanks to Walk Down Wall Street, I not only found what it is I want to do, but also got the tools to achieve it. Even more, I feel I am constantly applying the concepts taught in the course in my daily professional life.”

To further align with the goal of providing students with real-world experiences and to provide an international education, the Argyros School also offers interterm travel courses to Vietnam, Panama and Peru and Palo Alto, in addition to the many study abroad courses that are offered year-round.

Learn more about
Chapman’s study abroad opportunities
.

Learn more about the
Argyros School of Business and Economics
.