Smart Woman Securities UMass Amherst Chapter

Smart Woman Securities was fortunate enough to embark on the annual Boston Networking Trip this past Thursday! We would like to extend our appreciation to Fidelity, Berkeley Research Group, Cambridge Associates, and Loomis Sayles for hosting us. The panels and various informational presentations provided a diverse breadth of insight. There is no better way to discover what a firm is like then to visit the office and hear from professionals firsthand. Additionally, it is always nice to reconnect with SWS alumni!?

Thank you to everyone who attended our annual Beyond Your Degree Conference on October 26th at the Isenberg Hub. Smart Woman Securities is grateful for the opportunity to connect students with our accomplished alumni, professors, and industry professionals across fields including Sales & Trading, Investment Banking, Real Estate, and Research. A special thank you to our keynote speaker, Shannon O’Mara, and to our dedicated alumni and professors who shared their insights and expertise. The conference offered valuable discussions and practical advice on navigating career paths after graduation, creating a meaningful space for mentorship, collaboration, and professional growth. We appreciate everyone who helped make this event a success.

Smart Woman Securities is thrilled to announce that our annual Beyond Your Degree Conference will take place on October 26th at the Isenberg Hub. This event is designed to provide invaluable insights into a variety of industries, including Sales & Trading, Investment Banking, Consulting, Real Estate, and Research. Attendees will have the opportunity to hear from accomplished professionals and experts in their fields, participate in thought-provoking discussions, and gain practical advice on navigating career paths post-graduation. The conference is also a chance to build meaningful connections with our expansive network of alumni, creating a space for mentorship, collaboration, and professional growth. We hope to see you there!

SWS is excited to share our Spring 2024 newsletter and the achievements of our organization from this past semester. Please feel free to reach out to us at [email protected]?with any questions or insight. We look forward to continuing our growth in the Fall. Thank you to everyone for their continuous support!

Smart Women Securities proudly hosts our semiannual stock pitch competition, open to all years and majors. Participants are grouped and assigned companies from diverse sectors, encouraging collaboration and to connect with students they may not typically work together. This enables participants to cultivate long-lasting connections and friendships with like-minded students. We strive to encourage healthy competition and for participants to build supportive networks. Throughout the competition, we provide comprehensive lessons on building an investment thesis, conducting investment research and constructing DCF models. Participants learn about different sectors, and to analyse the impact of various factors on stock valuation, as well as interpret and assess financial metrics. Our leadership team and upperclassmen serve as mentors to participants, providing guidance and advice in navigating the process. This culminates in a final stock pitch presented to Smart Women Security members, with the UMass community being welcome to attend, and the pitches being judged by Isenberg faculty and industry professionals. Participants receive valuable feedback and recognition, as well as an opportunity to connect with professors. Contributions to Smart Women Securities allow us to continue to host our stock pitch competition, and bring in more industry professional judges. Past winners include Ralph Lauren, La-Z Boy, Caleres Inc., Bloomin’ Brands, Garmin and Malibu Boats. Your support fuels our mission to empower and educate women in finance, thank you for helping us make a difference! Link to Donate:?https://lnkd.in/e-pRdRFv

Your contributions to Smart Women Securities allows students to embark on a day-trip to Boston, MA, to visit renowned asset management firms and investment banks. Firms we’ve visited in the past include Fidelity, Cambridge Associates, Wellington Management and Loomis Sayles. This opportunity gives students an invaluable insight into the various career paths in the financial services industry, the responsibilities included in these roles, and interconnections across sectors. Recruiters and analysts share early-career opportunities and programs they benefited. Students are able to meet and learn from alumni and industry professions as well as connect and foster mentor relationships with them. These networking and informational events are often difficult to access, particularly for non-finance background students keenly interested in pursuing careers in finance.

Introducing the graduating members of our leadership team! Maya Peterson is our CEO and is a senior Finance Major and has been a part of SWS for six semesters. Her favourite SWS event is the semesterly stock pitch competition, as she believes to be a full-circle moment having taken part of this as both a participant and as a mentor. The stock pitch competition allowed her to connect with like-minded women in finance, while strengthening her technical skills. Maya also has enjoyed the insights that guest speakers provide in their experiences in navigating the financial services industry and their journeys in finding their career paths. She was an Investment Analyst Intern at VELA Investment Management over the summer, and she will be returning there full-time! Marie Maher is our CIO and is a senior Finance Major, she has been a part of SWS for six semesters to connect with other women interested in finance, and SWS has allowed her to form a supportive community. Her favourite SWS activities have been flower arranging and running the DCF modelling lessons. Marie was a Equity Research Summer Associate at Fidelity Investments this past summer, and will be returning full-time! Ishika Goyal is our CRO and is a senior Informatics Major, and has been a part of SWS for eight semesters. Her favourite memory at SWS has been the semesterly stock pitch competition, both being a participant and as a mentor. From a mentorship perspective, she enjoys the hard work of participants coming together, and finds being a mentor to be a very rewarding experience. She was a Research Associate Intern at Fidelity Investment last summer, and she will be full-time Credit Research Analyst at Barclays!

This Sunday, Smart Women Security held our semesterly Stock Pitch Competition, where six groups presented their stock pitches that they have been working on for the last month. We are incredibly impressed with the quality of research shown during the stock pitches and we are very proud of all the participants for the hard-work and dedication they’ve shown over the past five weeks.? The winner of Room 1 was Ralph Lauren (RL), which was presented by Alice Ho, Julia McIntyre, Shantal Onur and Lily Lyadova! The winner of Room 2 was La-Z Boy (LZB), presented by Sophie Stowell, Jasmine Nguyen, Sofia Sokhin and Jackie Campos!

The Beyond Your Degree conference (BYD) stands as Smart Women Securities’ flagship annual networking conference. Distinguished alumni return to UMass Amherst for a day to share their experiences and connect with over 300 students from the Five College region. Alumni offer firsthand accounts of the diverse career paths they have pursued within the financial services industry, encompassing Investment Banking, Equity Research, Consulting, Sales & Trade and Real Estate. They share the organisations and on-campus funds that contributed to their success and how to utilise the resources offered at UMass Amherst. The day-to-day aspects of their jobs are shared to allow attending students a better understanding of what they can expect. Such a unique networking opportunity is difficult to come by in an area such as Amherst, and donations to our Women’s History Campaign enables us to continue to host an invaluable conference. Students benefit greatly through the networking opportunities with alumni who have been in a similar position as them. Panels held allow a more accessible platform for students to ask questions, and are divided based on interest so that students are able to form mentor relationships. Attendees are able to connect with alumni they may not have met during their time at UMass, which greatly expands their professional network. We hope that through our fundraising efforts and your generosity, we are able to make BYD bigger and better than ever next year! Link to Donate: https://lnkd.in/e-pRdRFv

Hello LinkedIn professionals! We are delighted to unveil our Women’s History Month campaign, and invite you to join us in supporting our mission and goals through your generosity. Smart Women Securities was established to educate and empower women in their professional and personal finance, particularly in areas where women have been historically underrepresented such as investing and equity research. We seek to enhance the accessibility of career opportunities, networking trips, conferences and panels whilst cultivating a supportive network of students, alumni and industry professions. We educate members on the multitude of career pathways within the financial services industry, navigating internship and full-time recruitment, and enhancing their technical and analytical skills. Contributing to our Women’s History Month campaign allows students and members to continue to access and benefit from networking trips to top asset management firms and investment banks, connect with panellists and other industry professionals, and conduct lessons on the skills needed to succeed in the industry. Our flagship event, the Beyond Your Degree conference facilitates connections between current students with accomplished alumni, offering invaluable learning and networking experiences that are often inaccessible in Amherst and Western Massachusetts. Your support fuels our efforts to empower women in finance and build a more inclusive future. Thank you for being a part of our journey! Link to donate: https://lnkd.in/e-pRdRFv