NEW YORK, NY - Earlier this month, six Manhattan University student-athletes, in conjunction with Larry Grassi '93 and the O'Malley School of Business, were selected to attend a networking day at the headquarters of Goldman Sachs in the Battery Park neighborhood of Manhattan, located at 200 West Street.
Vinny Busch (Men's Volleyball),
Giavonna DeBono (Women's Lacrosse),
Celeste Harper (Women's Basketball),
Aaron Huang (Men's Golf),
Nick Lukmann (Men's Basketball, and
Michayla Rodriguez (Softball), were the few of the 30+ applications that Grassi received who were eventually selected for the experience. All of them besides DeBono are either in their freshman or sophomore seasons.
"I was so happy when I was told I was getting this opportunity, I didn't think I would get chosen at first. We were given a full tour of Goldman Sachs and the people who work within it," said Huang.
Grassi is a 15 year employee of Goldman Sachs and has worked in the investment banking industry for 30 years. After noticing most new hires at the firm were brought in from the same target schools, he wanted to see if there was any way to help his alma mater, where he was also a men's soccer student-athlete.
"Little by little we would get one-off hires from other schools. So, about a year and a half ago I attended a [Manhattan] Student Managed Investment Fund meeting. I met with around 100 students and wanted to build a gateway from Manhattan University. The school told me they'd love to do a networking day, which is how this came to be," Grassi added.
It was important to the former Jasper to build these prospective young adults early, weeding through resumes that showed promise and effort. Once he had landed a group of inspired student-athletes, the process began.
"It was a very unique experience, not many people get to be in my position. Meeting the many Manhattan alumni in their many different fields, I did my best to be a sponge and learn everything I could about life on the trading floor," commented Lukmann.
Multiple points of entry was a focal point of Grassi's goal in introducing the students to Goldman Sachs.
"Out of the 11 employees they met, there were eight different jobs across four different divisions. I really wanted to open their eyes to all of the possibilities of a firm like Goldman Sachs," Grassi continued.
Another exciting chance granted to the participating members is a mentor program that Grassi intends to start within the coming months, guiding students through interviewing skills, resume improvements, and more to prepare them for an early start on Wall Street.
"I really liked the culture and how down to earth everyone was there. I'd advise any future athletes who get to participate in this to take advantage of the alumni connections and reach out to them for help for career advice," said Busch.
"For future athletes, it's good to open the door despite our busy schedules. Kickstart your career while being busy, and it'll help you a lot," Rodriguez contributed.
"Coming from a non-target school, this networking is a huge opportunity for us. It helps make us known to well-known corporations, as well as putting Manhattan on the map," added DeBono.
"We are all excited and proud to be able to offer our student-athletes these types of experiences and opportunities that would not be possible without our deep connection to our alumni base. We will continue to offer a platform where our teams can connect their academic focus with their future profession and we are grateful and fortunate to have a Jasper family ready to support that mission," said
Jorden Scott '21, Associate Athletic Director for External Affairs and Program Development.
When looking towards the future of these events, Grassi insisted on continuing the tradition, helping Manhattan student-athletes for years to come.
"I want them to learn there are lots of doors into Goldman outside of just me. Seek out advice from professors or trusted advisors, talk to as many people as possible that work in the field of finance. The more, the better when it comes to understanding opportunities."
