My name is Tim Peyser, and I currently work at Piper Sandler covering financial services as an investment banker. Previously, I spent two years at RSM advising private equity clients in a consulting capacity. I joined RSM after graduating from the University of Richmond ('19) where I majored in international business and finance with a minor in French. I have worked in a number of roles in finance from boutique venture capital to Morgan Stanley's wealth management practice and would be happy to be a resource to you.

My name is Carlin Lynch, and I am a 2018 graduate from the University of Richmond. At UR, I studied business administration with a concentration in finance and an English minor. I’ve worked at B. Riley Securities for ~3 years, first in equity research, and now as an investment banking analyst in the sustainability practice. My road to financial services has not been a straight one, and I am happy to help those with non-traditional resumes craft a narrative and a plan. Originally convinced I wanted to be in industry, which led me to an internship at J&J, I realized senior year, after my classmates already had locked up job offers, that I wanted to be in finance. By crafting the right narrative and having the right support system, I was able to land a job. If you realized “late” that you wanted to be in finance, feel free to reach out!

Hello! My name is Mike Mikkelsen and I am currently an Investment Banking Associate at Jefferies in the Global Industrials Group in New York. I grew up on Long Island and graduated from Boston College in 2017 double majoring in mathematics and economics. I started my career in Operations at Barclays, and from there switched to the Equity Capital Markets group at Jefferies as a lateral hire. Most recently I internally transferred at Jefferies into the Global Industrials Group. It has taken me a few years of research and networking to reach the position I am in today, and that is largely due to the lack of publicly available resources about the many different paths you can take within finance. I’m more than happy to share my path and chat with anyone about networking, interview prep, life, etc.

My name is Bryan Kozin and I am currently an investor at Lindsay Goldberg, a private equity firm focused on leveraged buyout and growth capital investments in middle-market companies. In this role, I create partnerships with families and founders to build businesses. Prior to Lindsay Goldberg, I was an investor at CI Capital Partners, a middle-market private equity firm focused on working with entrepreneurs to transform small- and medium-sized companies into market leaders through investments in organic growth and add-on acquisitions. I started my career in Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s investment banking division after graduating magna cum laude from Elon University with a BSBA in Finance. I am originally from Philadelphia, PA.

My name is Max Meyer, and I am currently and MBA student at Wharton. Prior to Wharton, I was a Private Equity Associate at TH Lee. Previously, I was an Investment Banking Analyst at Goldman Sachs in NYC and in investment banking at Stifel in the TMT M&A practice. I graduated from Tulane University in 2019 with a B.S.M. in Finance. I did my summer internship at J.P. Morgan in the middle market banking group. I took a bit of a circuitous route to land my current role and have learned valuable lessons along the way. My impetus for working in investment banking was largely shaped by my deep passion for learning and desire to excel in intense environments. Finance has always intrigued me, and I took my time to figure out where exactly I wanted to drive my professional endeavors. Throughout my career, I have participated in summer analyst recruiting, full-time recruiting, and lateral recruiting. If you need advice on any of these areas, please reach out to me!

I am an investment banking analyst based in New York working at Deutsche Bank as part of the Strategic Equity Transactions Group within capital markets. I graduated from Loyola University Maryland in 2021 with a double mayor in finance and marketing in addition to a minor in entrepreneurship. I pursued a career in finance because I wanted to work in a challenging environment where I would be able to develop professionally while seeing the real-world impact of my work. As a Dominican citizen with limited work authorization, I had a unique recruiting experience pursuing opportunities in the United States. Through this, I learned a lot about the challenges that come with investment banking recruiting. I would be happy to share everything I learned throughout my recruiting process and help in any way I can. Feel free to reach out if you are interested in having a chat!

My name is Anja Mandic and I am from Bosnia and Herzegovina. I am currently in my final year at the University of Richmond where I am majoring in Economics. Most recently, I interned as an investment banking summer analyst at Jefferies in NYC where I will be returning as an analyst in their Metal & Mining group after graduation. I decided to pursue a career in finance as I always wanted to pursue a fast-paced career that would allow me to learn in a challenging environment surrounded by high-caliber professionals. As an international student coming from a non-target school, I can provide helpful insight on how to build a network, learn about different careers within finance, and identify a career path. Moreover, I can help you overcome several obstacles international students typically face relating to visa processes and provide advice on how to succeed in a competitive job environment.

Hi all! I am currently an investment banking analyst at Barclays based out of New York City. I graduated from Vanderbilt University where I studied economics and helped lead the undergraduate finance and investment clubs. Prior to my current role, I gained internship experience in asset management, real estate private equity, public finance, and debt capital markets at a variety of different firms. I am happy to speak with you about my different experiences, offer any advice I can, or just be a sounding board for your career decisions / anything at all! Diversity in the workplace can present itself in many different ways and regardless of your background, ethnicity, race, gender, sexual orientation, disability or socioeconomic status I believe that everyone should have the opportunity to pursue the careers of their choice. Please do not hesitate to reach out, even if it's just for Nashville bar and food recommendations.

My name is Dino LaValle. I am currently a private equity associate at The Jordan Company based in New York City. Prior to my time at The Jordan Company, I was an investment banking analyst in the Global Industrials Group at Jefferies in New York City. I grew up on Long Island just outside of NYC before attending and graduating from Brown University in 2017 with a B.A. in Business Economics and where I was also a member of the varsity lacrosse team. For anyone out there coming from a liberal arts background or who is an athlete with no familial or educational ties to the finance industry, I would be happy to speak about my path breaking in and assist with any part of the recruiting process.

I am currently an Associate at RiverGlade Capital, in Chicago, IL. Prior to this role, I was a Leveraged Finance analyst at Truist Securities in Atlanta, GA. I studied finance and accounting at Clemson University and graduated in 2017. Originally, I'm from the suburbs of Chicago. I chose to pursue a career in investment banking because it presented an opportunity for me to apply many of the principles I learned in my finance and accounting classes at college, and to interact with and learn from sharp-minded individuals. Not knowing many people with a background in finance motivated me to build my network in order to better understand how my role at Truist fit into the world of finance, as well as learn about potential career paths. For my first two years out of college I also supported and led undergrad recruitment efforts at my alma mater. During that time I had many conversations with students trying to figure out what path to take after college. I look forward to sharing my experience and knowledge of networking and undergrad recruitment with you.

My name is Andy Kleinlein and I am currently a private equity associate at Bessemer Investors in New York City. Prior to joining Bessemer, I was an investment banking analyst in the Leveraged Finance Group at Jefferies in NYC. Before Jefferies, I spent a year at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey (now Truist) as an analyst in the Syndicated & Leveraged Finance Group, where I interned the prior summer. I grew up in St. Louis, MO before attending and eventually graduating from Washington and Lee University in 2017 with a BS in Accounting and Business Administration. During my time at W&L, I played four years of basketball. I pursued a career in finance to develop a foundation, network and skill set that would be applicable to any career path. I can be of particular help to anyone who: i) goes to a liberal arts college and is looking to pursue a career in finance, ii) wants to make the leap from investment banking to private equity, or iii) needs advice on how to use your experience as a former student-athlete to your advantage. I'm happy to be a general resource for any other topics, as well.

I am a private equity associate at Shoreline Equity Partners. Prior to joining Shoreline, I was an analyst at Jefferies in the Industrials Group. I graduated with a B.S. in Human & Organizational Development and minors in Economics and Corporate Strategy from Vanderbilt University in 2018. I pursued a career in finance for the challenge, variety of work, and high levels of responsibility. You should reach out to me if you are interested in learning about recruiting, the work associated with IB and PE, both as a whole and specific to junior-level roles, and the upsides and downsides of different geographies (I grew up in San Francisco, went to school in Nashville, did IB in Manhattan, and now work in Ponte Vedra, FL).

Hello, my name is Bjorn Hessen-Schmidt. I am originally from Palo Alto, California and I attended Cornell University where I graduated Phi Beta Kappa with degrees in both Mathematics and Economics. I am currently an Associate at Siris Capital Group and was previously a Senior Investment Banking Analyst within Citi’s Global Industrials Group. In addition to Investment Banking at Citi, my internship experience also includes bioinformatics research at Stanford University and data science at Two Six Capital.

Hi, My name is Tim Eber and I am currently an Acquisition Finance analyst at Truist Securities in Atlanta, Georgia. I graduated from the University of Georgia in December 2018 with a double major in Finance and Management Information Systems and I chose to pursue a career in finance for a few key reasons: the chance to surround myself and work with curious, intelligent, and high-caliber people, the significant responsibility and accountability assigned to juniors, and the challenge to think critically in order to work through complex problems. Since getting into banking, I have witnessed the recruiting process take place earlier each year, and it appears to me that more and more driven, intelligent, and motivated candidates who do not have access to resources and information are being left out of the process. If you are someone who feels that you might have an interest in a career in banking or finance but do not know where to begin or simply want to learn more about what life in banking may look like, I would be happy to be a resource to you and can provide advice from personal experience surrounding how to approach getting up the learning curve, recruiting, and the interview process.

Hello, my name is Rick Roebuck. I am currently an investment banking analyst at Shot Tower Capital in Baltimore, Maryland. Shot Tower is a boutique investment bank covering the media and entertainment industries, with a specific focus on music. I graduated from the University of Richmond in May of 2020, where I studied business administration with concentrations in accounting and finance. I decided to pursue a career in finance because I wanted a challenging role that would expose me to a wide variety of industries and business models. I would be happy to provide advice on anything related to the investment banking industry, and can specifically help with the interview process and understanding what entry level roles will entail.

Hi! I’m James Zhang and I currently work in investment banking at Citi’s Global Consumer & Retail Group, based in New York City. I graduated with a B.S. in Commerce from the University of Virginia’s McIntire School of Commerce, where I concentrated in finance and minored in economics. Ultimately, it was my desire to understand how and why various companies made strategic decisions at the corporate level that drove me into working in investment banking, where I’ve had opportunities to engage with C-suite executives on a deep level to understand their fundamental business models. It’s certainly an extremely intellectually stimulating career, and I look forward to aiding you in your path to success as well!

My name is Matt Cory. I am currently a second-year investment banking analyst in the Syndicated and Leveraged Finance (LevFin) Group at Truist Securities in Atlanta where I support the Healthcare and Consumer teams. Prior to transitioning into the LevFin group, I spent two years working for the Healthcare Credit Delivery Group at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey. I grew up outside of Atlanta, GA before attending the University of Georgia where I graduated with a B.B.A in both Finance and Real Estate. Entering college, I wanted to become a doctor, intending to major in biochemistry and pursue medical school. Over time, my interest in pursuing finance grew, and by my junior year, I officially changed my major to finance. Ultimately, I wanted to pursue a career that was both challenging and rewarding in an environment where I would be surrounded by smart and determined people. The finance and specifically, banking world can be intimidating to break into out of college; I'd be happy to connect with you and speak about my experiences, my decision to change majors, strategies with networking and/or any interviewing tips I have so that hopefully, through working together, we can achieve your goal of landing a great job in the world of finance!

Hello! My name is Kenny Mleko and I am a private equity associate at Waud Capital Partners. Previously, I was an analyst in the regional M&A group at J.P. Morgan in New York City. Prior to banking, I spent just over a year at Wells Fargo Securities and graduated from both Vanderbilt’s M.S. Finance program and Loyola University Chicago. It was not until the end of my junior year at Loyola that I first heard the words investment banking. It was still several months after that when I began to realize what it takes to break into the industry. If you have made it to this website, you probably have a better understanding of Wall Street recruiting than I ever did, but please shoot me a note if you are looking for guidance on your ‘path’. Through a combination of luck, graciousness, and a lot of cold emails, I had more people than I can remember share with me their journeys into banking, and I owe it to them to pay it forward.

Hi, I’m Michael Ukrainskyj. I studied finance and economics at the University of Richmond and am currently a sell-side M&A analyst at Harris Williams, a middle-market investment bank in Richmond, Virginia. I came into college unsure of what I wanted to study. Through my courses and speaking with school alumni, I chose finance and eventually investment banking because of responsibility and work-ethic instilled directly out of college. Recently going through the interview process myself, I understand the importance of having a college-aged mentor to help along the way. Breaking into the world of finance can be daunting, but I can provide guidance every step of the way. Through my experiences in equity research, private equity, and investment banking, I’m happy to chat about different career paths / networking / and interview prep. I certainly wouldn’t be where I am today without the help of mentors along the way and would love to help anyone else get into the world of finance.

Hi, my name is Aris Sevastianos. I was born and raised in a Greek-American household in metro St. Louis, and graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a Master’s and Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and a Minor in French. Before my current work in venture capital, I spent time in strategy consulting (Strategy& - Retail & Consumer Private Equity Value Creation) and investment banking (Truist Securities - Power & Renewables coverage). In college, I co-ran and sold a Forbes-featured EdTech startup as CFO and did internships at a hedge fund and public accounting firm. Having formally navigated the VC, strategy consulting, IB, and public accounting recruitment processes, I can provide candid insight on each process, as well as my transition between the respective fields. Finally, I can help you build a valuable network from the ground up (something I had to do quickly). I’d love to pay it forward as a friend and mentor while combating such a pressing issue in our society.