Ten first-year full-time MBA students have been named this year’s Investment Banking and Investment Management Fellows, gaining resources and support through mentoring and scholarships as they pursue finance careers.
The Investment Banking Fellowship Program, now in its eighth year, welcomes Miran Ahmad, Khadar Ahmed, Megan Bradfield, Dafne Espinoza, and Nils Hellmer, all MBA 15.
Investment Banking Fellows: Miran Ahmad, Megan Bradfield,Nils Hellmer (front), Khadar Ahmed, Dafne Espinoza, and all MBA 15.
Modeled on the banking fellowship, the Investment Management Fellows Program debuted last November. Its new class consists of David Cardell, Christen Chen, Tom Garland, Danielle Reed, and Jeff Routh, all MBA 15.
Investment Management Fellows:Tom Garland, Danielle Reed, Jeff Routh, Christen Chen, and David Cardell, all MBA 15.
During their time in the program, fellows receive a $5,000 scholarship, pairing with a mentor (typically Haas alumni and potentially a former fellow now working in the field), and priority enrollment in finance electives.
"The fellowship really provides me an additional platform to get mentorship and access in the banking community,” says Bradfield, who previously worked in philanthropy and came to Haas to build her finance skills. “Probably the biggest benefit is to have someone who works as your advocate and your mentor. Having someone who’s well-resourced will be a huge benefit for me.”
Bradfield believes that investment banking can serve many of the innovative businesses coming out of UC Berkeley and looks forward to partnering with her classmates and peers in the future. “I think that banking provides a really concrete service to help scale transformative solutions,” she says.
Landon Mizuguchi, one of last year’s investment banking fellows, noted that his mentor—a managing director from a prominent Bay Area investment bank who is also a Cal undergraduate alumnus—helped immensely in his recruiting process. And thanks to the priority enrollment benefit, Mizuguchi was able to take a popular Mergers and Acquisitions course that helped during his internship the following summer.
“I just felt that much more prepared to contribute on the job,” Mizuguchi says. “It’s a great program and this next crop of fellows will benefit significantly.”
Fellows were selected for their strong interest in their chosen field and positive representation of the Haas School. As part of the application process, students were asked to submit a short essay discussing past experience and short- and long-term career goals and were interviewed by past fellows. Applications were reviewed by a committee that includes representatives of the MBA Program Office, Admissions, Career Management Group, and the finance faculty.