Our last excursion for the semester was a five-day field trip to New York City (March 10 – 15, 2024). The group attended four presentations, two scheduled on Monday and two on Wednesday, with Tuesday and Thursday designated as free days for students to explore New York City.

On Monday morning, our first presentation was at Moody’s. Kent Becker, senior vice president in Moody’s Investor Service and an alumnus of our university, discussed the methodology used for credit rating of companies, local, and state governments.

In the afternoon, we visited TIAA. Brenden Horgan provided an introduction to TIAA's activities, followed by presentations from Jason J. Castelluccio, Managing Director, Client Portfolio Manager at Nuveen Asset Management, and Samuel Hodas, Managing Director, Head of Enterprise ESG Strategy at Nuveen. They shared insights into their personal career paths and responsibilities at Nuveen, a TIAA-affiliated company.

Wednesday morning, we attended a presentation by the Council on Foreign Relations. Courtney Mason, Program Coordinator, Outreach, introduced CFR, followed by Dr. Zongyuan Zoe Liu, Maurice R. Greenberg Fellow for China Studies, who discussed her academic and professional journey. She addressed students' questions regarding global financial markets, sovereign wealth funds, and energy and climate change policy.

In the afternoon, we visited the Citi headquarters. Alyssia King, Early Careers Recruiter, provided an introduction to Citi, followed by presentations from four junior employees who shared their academic backgrounds, professional experiences, and insights into their roles at Citi. They also offered advice for students seeking employment in the United States.