Terry College of Business - Fall 2008 - (Page 48) terr ymemo Institute for Leadership Advancement Leonard Leadership Scholars on Wall Street By Doug Monroe (ABJ ’69) hloe Thompson (BBA ’06) admits she felt a bit intimidated when she found herself surrounded by Ivy League B-school grads during her internship with J.P. Morgan on Wall Street. One day, in an elevator, a trader asked her where she went to school. UGA, she replied. “What are you doing here?” the trader asked. “I heard this is where the big boys play,” said Thompson, “and I wanted to see if I could hang.” Thompson, who delivered the student commencement address as a senior at UGA, proved she could, indeed, hang with the big C A dozen Leonard Leadership Scholars had full-time jobs or internships at Wall Street firms this past summer, including (from left) Steven Otu, Gabriel Sibony, Hunter Fleetwood, Navid Abghari, and Jared Schmidt. boys. She was hired by J.P. Morgan, and she recently moved back to Atlanta to become an analyst with EARNEST Partners. Thompson is one of a growing number of Leonard Leadership Scholars who have made the leap from Athens to Wall Street. A dozen Leonard Scholars had full-time jobs or internships on Wall Street firms this summer, which is a considerable feat for the 48 • Fall 2008 six-year-old program. By helping scholars who come after them, these Wall Street Dogs are exhibiting important lessons that they learned from former Coca-Cola executive Earl Leonard (ABJ ’58, LLB ’61), who, along with his wife Bebe, donated $2 million to start the scholars program: They give back. Compared to the Wall Street networks built up over the years by Ivy League schools, the Leonard Leadership Scholars’ network is in its infancy. But it’s growing stronger every year, and in light of the current economic crisis networking and internships will be more important than ever in landing jobs in the financial industry. “As a rule, Wall Street firms do not recruit at UGA,” says ILA director Dale Gauthreaux. “But the Leonard Leadership Scholars network is a way to make yourself known to important people in the business world.” Only 30 juniors make the cut each year for the two-year scholars program. Those chosen undergo an intense experience that drives them both inward and outward. The experience can be profound, says former SGA president Jamie Peper. “We had to write a paper that was 25 pages long about who we are, including our mission statement,” says Peper (BBA ’07), a former Lehman Brothers intern now working at Bain & Co. in Dallas. “It was one of the hardest papers I ever had to write.” Much of what the scholars learn about themselves comes in teambuilding service projects. “The program allows people to interact and work on projects outside class,” says Navid Abghari (BBA ’05), a credit hybrids trader for J.P. Morgan Securities, who credits Terry economics professor Chris Cornwell with helping him land his job. While in Athens, the scholars meet top executives in candid realworld information sessions. One of the perks of the program is having access to a world-class mentor like Earl Leonard. “He’s someone I lean on for advice to this day,” says Joe Lariscy (BBA ’07), an investment banking analyst at J.P. Morgan. “We still talk every couple of months.” Steven Otu, who had a summer internship at Morgan Stanley, met several Leonard Scholars who were already established in investment banking. “They shared their experiences and gave me tips for negotiating New York and Wall Street,” says Otu, who hopes to return to New York when he graduates in May. One of the qualities that exemplifies Leonard Leadership Scholars is their willingness to take big risks for big rewards. Jared Schmidt (BBA ’04), now in asset management at Goldman Sachs, sold his car and made the leap to New York without even having a place to stay. Here again, the Terry network came into play, as Schmidt ended up rooming with a fellow Leonard Scholar. “Most Leonard Leadership Scholars are, by nature, optimistic,” says Hunter Fleetwood (BBA ’07), who made the transition from J.P. Morgan to Warner Music. “They believe things will get better.” ■ — Mai-Lise Nguyen (BBA ’05) assisted with this article. Terry College oF SPecial Business
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