The nearly 50 Bryant students are up before the sun this chilly October morning. As they board the logo-emblazoned Bryant University bus to New York City, more than a few are blinking sleep from their eyes. There’s a sense of purpose, though, and a crackling of anticipation.
“I’ve never seen so many people so happy to get on a bus in the cold at five in the morning!” one of their number exclaims with laughter.
That low-key excitement is warranted; the group knows they’ve decided to trade a few hours of sleep for a future-making opportunity. As participants in the annual Walk Down Wall Street trip, organized by Bryant’s Amica Center for Career Education in conjunction with the university’s Finance Association, they have a full day of networking and career building in front of them — as well as a guided, insiders look at the finance industry.
Every year the bus is full, and every year there’s a long waiting list.
From her perch at the front of the vehicle, Patricia Miernicki, associate director of employer relations for the Amica Center wrangles the students onto the bus before going over the itinerary. Miernicki has been arranging this trip for years, and many of the alumni who volunteered to mentor the students today have her to thank for helping them find rewarding careers when they themselves were students.
“Walk Down Wall Street is one of my favorite events,” she notes. “It’s like a reunion with old friends.”
Among the students settling in for the long ride is Nathan Smith ’27. A Data Science major who’s come to Bryant from Bombay, India, Smith has discovered an unexpected affinity for, and talent at, the Finance courses he’s taken.
“For me, I think today is about learning about all of the possibilities,” he notes.
Insider tips
The day officially begins at the New York offices of Forvis Mazars, where Managing Partners Ryan Reiff and Connie Cagle give the Bryant students an expert-level look at the leading global professional services firm, from its history to its international scope.
They also introduce the students to Christine Ballou and Rosina Prisco, his colleagues in campus recruitment. “I’m the ones to talk to afterwards,” Ballou jokes — and several of the students take her up on that offer.
As the Forvis Mazars representatives take questions from the Bryant students, the panelists for the next session trickle in. Bryant alumni representing a range of companies — including Barclays Investment Bank, Goldman Sachs, BNY, Essence Development, Ross Stores, Inc., and Revolve Wealth Partner — are greeted warmly, and often with a hug, by Miernicki as they chat with one another, making and strengthening connections of their own.
The ensuing panel, moderated by Miernicki, opens the books to the ambitious students. The alumni give thoughtful, candid answers to questions about their jobs, their time as Bryant students, and the sometimes-winding paths that led them to their current positions.
In many ways, that’s the secret to a successful and rewarding career, they note: Always be open to the possibilities. “I would say one of the most important things is to ask questions — to always be curious about everything, even things that might seem beyond the scope of your job,” suggests Stephanie Corcoran ’16, corporate planning manager at Ross Stores. “Always be thinking about how you can help your teammates and contribute to success.”
Afterwards, Miernicki opens up the floor and the students mingle with the alums. Joseph Belsanti ’25 — founder of Bryant’s chapter of Twelve Points Academy, which teaches financial literacy to high schoolers — comes away energized by his discussion with Gabriella Rossi ’12, director of operations and community engagement at Essence Development. The two talk about how Rossi’s been able to turn her Bryant education into a force for good; she also provided Belisanti with pointers about how he can widen the scope of his own efforts.
By her own admission, International Business student Emely Del Rosario ’27 is a deeply pragmatic and analytical person. This is her second Walk Down Wall Street and this year she’s focused on building on the general knowledge she’s acquired and learning more about the global markets space. So when Ryan Dobrzynski ’23, markets and wealth services analyst at BNY, casually mentions that’s one of his focus areas, she jumps at the opportunity.
“You’re going to have an incredible resume coming out of Bryant, but other people will have that as well. It’s your network that can put you over the top.”
“It was really interesting talking with him about his job,” she reflects. “I think that’s exactly that’s the area I want to go into.”
Del Rosario also notes that every Bryant alumnus she’d met — both during Walk Down Wall Street an other engagement opportunities — has been excited to help the next generation.
For many, it’s an attempt to pay things forward. “You’re going to have an incredible resume coming out of Bryant, but other people will have that as well,” John Tevnan ’16, business services manager and wealth advisor at Revolve Wealth Partners, reminds the students. “It’s your network that can put you over the top.”
Making the Dream work
On their way to their next destination, the students pass through the glitz of Times Square.
“This is a completely different perspective — it’s really different from reading about this, or even having someone come in to talk about what they do and describe to you what it’s like,” says Diogo Silva ’26, who hadn’t before visited the city.
He takes another look at the bustling streets, skyscrapers, and neon billboards. “Plus, this is New York,” he adds. “Everything happens here.”
As the students arrive at the Bank of America Financial Center, the group is ushered through security. Celia Puleo ’26 finds a moment to take a selfie in the lobby. She aims to one day work at the multinational investment bank and financial services holding company, and everything she’s heard and learned about the firm’s culture, the work it does, and the opportunity to spread her wings and try new things has her enthralled.
“This event has always been very special to me. I really believe that this is Bryant at its best.”
“It’s my dream job,” she admits. The large group spills far beyond the conference room originally intended for this portion of the trip’s discussion with BOA representatives, who find themselves addressing a crowd that extends into a company kitchen and breakroom. Many employees pop their heads in on their way to secure a cup of coffee or a snack, curious as to the identity of the day’s unexpected visitors.
The arrangement offers the students a look behind the scenes in more ways than one.
Saifur Ahmed, assistant vice president and senior auditor, and Sydney Yornack, assistant vice president and audit supervisor, discuss their jobs and their career paths. But they also take questions from the audience on everything from technical qualifications to what it’s really like to work at BOA.
After the talk is over, Puleo, who will secure an internship as an enterprise credit summer analyst with BOA’s Boston office, zeroes in on Ahmed for more first-person insight.
She’s doing everything she can to make her dream come true.
Stronger in packs
Later on, the students return to Forvis Mazars for a celebration as Bryant’s prestigious Wall Street Council — a network of Bryant alumni, parents, and friends of the university who work in investments, finance, banking, brokerage, and other financial services fields — commemorates its 10th anniversary. Though they come from different backgrounds and class years, the council’s members all pledged to contribute expertise and philanthropic support to ensure Bryant continues to lead the way in preparing students for careers in the field.
Bryant University President Ross Gittell, Ph.D., is on hand to mark the occasion as well, and to praise the spirit of camaraderie and mentorship that suffuses the council — and Walk Down Wall Street. “This event has always been very special to me,” he states. “I really believe that this is Bryant at its best.”
Gittell also praises the strong bonds between Bryant and its alumni, and the powerful impact those bonds can have. “We take great pride in the fact that we all work together to do everything we can to help the university’s students.”
The Wall Street Council started with a single idea, Stephen Tully ’98, a founding member of the council, confided to the audience. And at its core, the idea was simple: Bryant Bulldogs are stronger in packs — and they look out for one another.
Tully wondered: What if the Bryant alumni in the financial scene were to come together? Now, more than a decade later, he sees the answer before him: a powerful force aided to assisting one another and to ensuring that future generations of Bryant students can achieve their potential.
“We are scrappy and nimble. Bryant isn’t some Ivy League institution; it’s on all of us to come together,” reflects Tully, who has passed leadership of the council to a new executive board but remains on as an advisory board member. “It’s about our strength as a group.”
As the speaking portion of the event — which also includes an update on Bryant’s Vision 2030 strategic plan and a discussion on the future of finance with Mark Orsley ’97, a portfolio manager at BlueCrest Capital Management, and Nanette Buziak ’93 managing director of OptimX Markets — concludes, the celebration becomes a reception where the Walk Down Wall Street students can connect with some of Bryant’s most successful alumni.
“We’re working on helping me to develop an edge.”
“If I don’t see you talking to anyone, I’m going to start making introductions,” Miernicki threatens the students with a chuckle.
Nicholas Decelles ’26 needs no prompting. He makes a beeline for Orsley and has an in-depth conversation with him about investing philosophy, risk, and what life is really like on Wall Street.
“I think this is one of the best opportunities at Bryant,” he marvels afterward. “It’s about bridging the gap between what we study and the real world — and about making real face-to-face connections.”
Edem Apaloo ’26 and Hailey Furtado ’27 join a crowd of students eager to continue the conversation they started with Corcoran after the alumni panel. Its empowering to talk with a young woman who has found success in a largely male-dominated field, admits Furtado. “It’s a reminder that all of us can do that, too,” she states.
During the reception, Smith connects with Nirbhay Kumar ’97, an independent advisor to startups and venture capital funds who has previously worked at Blackrock, BNY Mellon, and other top-level financial institutions. Kumar, who was also born in India, works with a variety of companies within the fintech industry, and he and Smith discuss the field and the opportunities Smith might find.
The discussion that Kumar and Smith begin today will continue well past the reception, when the students pile back on to the bus for the trip home, exhausted after a long day but energized by everything they’ve learned and discovered. The pair will still be in contact more than a month later and Smith is already describing Kumar's mentorship as invaluable.
The conversation has moved beyond possibilities, Smith notes. “We’re working on helping me to develop an edge.”
