Naira Abdula's Skidmore journey is marked by ambition, perseverance, and a large amount of preparation.  Originally from Mozambique, Naira is a member of the Class of 2020, and is pursuing a double major in Management & Business and Economics.  Since the start of her time at Skidmore, Naira has taken steps to improve her chances to one day land her dream job on Wall Street.

She also had a great headstart!  In 2015, Naira and partners found Edutrer, a non-government organization built to improve the educational system inher home country.  She was awarded a $10,000 World Davis Peace grant for her efforts, allowing her team to build and equip a library and learning lab.  The young leader found herself coordinating a team of nineteen people, along with writing project proposals, grant and financial reports, and analyzing budgets.  These activities were strong prerequisites for a career in the competitive finance industry.

Naira's sophomore year brought two experiences that furthered her journey.  She had accepted a summer internship at Swiss Reinsurance as a casualty underwriter intern in New York City.  She also attended the CDC's Wall Street 101 event and networked with Skidmore alumni at leading banks and investment firms.   With her internship offer in-hand, Naira was able to talk with alumni about reinsurance, and ask questions relevant to this area of finance.  She also connected with Skidmore alumni from leading financial services firm, Credit Suisse, and kept ongoing relationships with the panelists throughout the next year.  This proved to be helpful as she applied for Credit Suisse's Summer Analyst program and was subsequently offered a position.

"Every time I talked with alumni from Credit Suisse, I would ask for feedback and assistance," said Naira.  "And then the next time I spoke with them, I made sure I had followed through with their advice."

Naira additionally pursued multiple mock interviews with Skidmore alumni to prepare her for the competitive recruitment process.

"I can't even tell you how many mock interviews I did with alumni," she said.  "So many!  And they were all so helpful."  

As the Wall Street 101 conference approaches on September 28, Naira offers the following advice to her Skidmore peers: "Number one-Prepare. Number two- Start early!  First year students interested in finance should be attending Wall Street 101.  And number three, you should always be networking with Skidmore alumni." 

(Tip: The CDC's Career Advisor Network is an easy place to start!)

Wall Street 101 takes place Friday, September 28, 2018 in the Tang Museum.  The half day conference provides Skidmore students the chance to meet and network with alumni from Barclays, BlackRock, Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Goldman Sachs, WallachBeth, and Natixis.  Registration is required.