Financial Services major Eric Mauricio ’19 aspires to one day become a financial planner and assist those who need help reaching their financial goals. Though still a senior in college, he’s recently accepted a job as a Financial Solutions Advisor for Merrill Edge that will bring him one step closer to that objective. And he’s not alone – Mauricio is just one of Bryant’s seniors who have secured a job in their chosen field.
Courses in personal financial planning and consumer behavior, taught by leading scholars and industry professionals, helped Mauricio prepare for an internship with Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s Advisor Development Program. That experience ultimately yielded several job offers, including the one he accepted.
“David Beausejour, my personal financial planning professor, would talk about his experiences with his clients, which I really enjoyed because he brought that real-world touch to what he taught,” Mauricio says.
He also valued Bryant’s focus on developing well-rounded professionals. “I like that Bryant allows me to take a variety of courses from all different disciplines,” says Mauricio. “My friends ask me, 'Aren’t you a Financial Services major? Why are you taking marketing? Why are you taking actuarial science? Why do you take this, why do you take that?' And I tell them, 'Because I’m going to need it.'”
A range of experience
“Bryant allows you to develop as a leader, both in and out of class,” says Amy Sullivan ’19, a Marketing and French major who recently accepted a job as an Executive Team Leader with Target. “You get to try so many things and gain confidence in your skills.”
Bryant’s Amica Center for Career Education helped Sullivan find career options that matched her interests, introduced her to prospective companies at career fairs, and helped her prepare for interviews.
“The relationship Amica has with so many companies makes it really easy for students to go through the process,” she says.
Her hard work and Amica’s coaching helped Sullivan land an internship with Target as a Store Executive Intern during the summer. Impressed with her accomplishments, the corporation offered her a full-time position.
“Bryant allows you to develop as a leader, both in and out of class. You get to try so many things and gain confidence in your skills.”
Her new job, she says, is a perfect fit with her interests and the teamwork skills she developed at Bryant. “I realized that that is a career that I’d kind of been doing all along – I’ve been managing teams, and I’ve loved it.”
Connections that work
Actuarial Mathematics major Jacob Mingola ’19 will be starting as an Actuarial Assistant with John Hancock Insurance after graduation. He’s excited to start a job in a field he loves. “The work I’m doing is going to help people and their families,” he says. “I really like that.”
Courses like interest theory, Mingola says, provided him with the foundational knowledge and experience to earn a variety of professional certifications while still in college, in addition to the professional skills that helped him stand out. His time as a tutor with Bryant’s Academic Center for Excellence enhanced his communication skills, reinforced what he learned in class, and allowed him to pass that knowledge on.
The University’s Actuarial Association helped him build contacts and meet representatives from a range of countries at networking events. “John Hancock came to campus last fall, and I was able to spend about 20 minutes just talking with them,” he says. “I’m pretty sure that went a long way toward me getting the job and I actually ended up working with one of the people I met during my internship there over the summer.”
