Four University of Pittsburgh College of Business Administration students have been selected to participate in the Chicago Quantitative Alliance’s (CQA) elite summer institute at Wilkes University in May.
Evan Livitsky, Benjamin Bertan, Anthony Abinanti, and Anna Kalea all received scholarships from the CQA Institute and an anonymous donor to participate in the intensive, two-week program. The institute gives them the opportunity to learn alongside students from around the world, make finance-industry connections, and gain hands-on experience in investment management.
“Our admittance into the program is a huge deal,” says Kathy Foody-Malus, a Pitt Business Executive in Residence in Finance. “They’ll be getting access to Wall Street professionals. They’ll literally be immersed in sessions with the big names you read about in The Wall Street Journal.”
Now in its second year, the CQA Institute is dedicated to educating business students who are passionate about the investment management industry. Classes are taught by seasoned investment professionals.
“At one time or another, many of us have had the same thought: ‘I wish when I was a young professional that I had received some advice on what it is really like in the real world of investment management,” says Dan Cardell (Katz MBA ’80), the founder of the CQA. “We want to share our insights on what students should expect and what are the available career paths in the business. The goal is to go beyond what students have learned in school to impress upon them what employers truly value in their employees.”
Kalea (Sophomore – Finance), one of the Pitt Business scholarship recipients, expects the summer institute to grow her knowledge of the investment industry. “I really want to go into investment management when I graduate, and I am really looking forward to enhancing what I am doing,” she says.
During the program, students will develop software and systems skills, compete in teams to establish investment strategies, network with professionals, visit companies in New York City, and potentially gain a future internship opportunity with one of the CQA firms.
Abinanti (Junior – Supply Chain Management) thinks the institute will enhance his future career in analytics and finance. “The institute places an emphasis on data analytics, which I am really interested in. At Pitt Business, I am completing the Certificate Program in Business Analytics, so it is a great tie-in to use the skills that I am currently learning,” he says.
Ross Micka (Senior – Finance), who will be working at PNC in Philadelphia post-graduation, completed the CQA Institute last year. He says it both heightened Pitt Business’s mission of taking students From the Classroom, To the City, To the World and taught him things that were directly applicable to his courses in school.
“The experience was great; I definitely learned a lot, especially for some of the things I’ve had to do this year in more upper level finance classes,” Micka says.
The CQA is looking forward to having the four new Pitt Business students participate in this year’s program.
“Pitt is the perfect partner school,” Cardell says, “for it is able to deliver motivated students who have a strong desire to succeed and are willing to put in the extra effort. As an alumnus, I am proud to see such qualified students applying for the program. Pitt truly has a mentoring atmosphere that helps students achieve their goals by going beyond the basic classroom schoolwork.”
Additional Resources
- Pitt Business Mentoring Match gives students an opportunity to connect with alumni volunteers for one-on-one mentoring support. Over 500 alumni, including many in the finance/investing industry, are available to help.
- Executives in Residence allow students to meet with students for advising and career coaching. To make an appointment with the Kathy Foody-Malus, the finance and investing EIR, visit the website.
- Industry Professional Networks let students complete career exploration in five industry groups—Accounting, Analytics, Consulting, Corporate Finance, and Investments. They begin in the fall term.
