Carolina Investment Association offers real-life experience
What’s the best practice for a job on Wall Street? Managing money, of course. Real money.
Students who join the Carolina Investment Association have the opportunity to do just that once they learn the ins and outs of the finance industry.
The organization has been in the works since 2010 but is being restructured, with the formation of a money management firm, the Carolina Investment Fund, at its head.
Zack Terefenko, vice president and chief investment officer of the Carolina Investment Association, said he’s excited for the future of the club and what it could do for students and the university. A fourth-year finance and economics student, Terefenko has been involved since his first year at USC, when his friend had the idea to start the organization.
Terefenko held a job at Morgan Stanley this summer, and he said he knows the benefit of the student organization.
“Students will have the opportunity to experience the financial world beyond the classroom,” Terefenko said.
The group’s senior leaders are forming the investment fund, which will be staffed by 15 finance-savvy students. They hope that alumni will be donated money they can invest.
The group also has the opportunity to talk to many people working on Wall Street.
“The group’s focus is to bridge the gap of what we learn in school and what we do in the real world,” Terefenko said.
The Carolina Investment Association will feed its members and their developing investment skills into the Fund, with different positions to hold within the clubs and a number of skills to hone.
The group is open to all students interested in finance and economics. The members, who currently number around 50, can serve as analysts and portfolio managers, or they can hold traditional leadership positions like president and treasurer.
Felician Stratmann, a fourth-year finance student and the association’s president, has big hopes for the group and its investment fund. He also held a position with Morgan Stanley this summer, and he hopes that new students understand how beneficial the group can be.
“I hope to see it grow further into a successful fund that benefits not only its members, but also brands the Moore School as a top finance program,” Stratmann said.