How your network builds on itself...
November 20, 2008 - by Kanishka KelshikarAt the C.O.A.C.H. Wall Street reception organized by the Office of Alumni Relations and the School of Business last spring, I had the opportunity to meet with many successful alumni of Adelphi University. At this event, I met Gary Heinze, VP & Senior Credit Examiner of The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Ltd. Now, because of circumstances, I could manage to speak with him for only five minutes. This, however, worked in my favor. It gave me just enough time to make a strong first impression and leave with his contact information and a pledge to reconnect at some point in the near future.
So a month later, I did meet with Mr. Heinze at a restaurant in Manhattan. We spoke about his experiences and how he made the transition from a student at Adelphi to the successful position that he currently holds at The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Ltd. He shared valuable advice with me and I can honestly say that I learned from his experience. During our conversation, Mr. Heinze happened to mention that he also held the position of governor of the Risk Management Association's (RMA) New York chapter. After a good meal and great conversation, we agreed to meet again during the school year.
A couple of weeks back, out of the blue, I received an email from Mr. Heinze saying that the RMA's New York chapter was hosting a networking seminar at the Bloomberg Tower in Manhattan and that he wanted to invite me and perhaps a classmate to be his guests at the event. Needless to say, I jumped on the offer and last week my classmate Greg Cantone and I attended this networking reception.
The reception was preceded by a presentation on the latest functional additions made to the Bloomberg Terminal, based on what they called the World Wide Credit Crisis. These were primarily new analytical tools that risk managers could use to improve their analyses on specific aspects of the market. Mr. Heinze introduced us to fellow governors, all of whom worked in the financial services industry with companies such as The Royal Bank of Scotland, Bank of America, AIG, and First Wall Street Capital. The president of RMA spoke with us and expressed her interest in encouraging student participation at their events. In fact, this week a group of five Adelphi students will be attending another event, which will be held in the J.P. Morgan Chase building.
This is definitely an example of how one small interaction can have a snowball effect that could potentially benefit a significant portion of the student body! Let's keep making those connections, Adelphi!
