Path to the Future

As I reflect on this trip a few days after being back, I am still shocked at how amazing and insightful this experience really was. Apart from the fantastic weather, this trip gave us the opportunity to connect with very well-accomplished alumni working in a variety of professional fields. 

Some moments from the trip that really stood out to me were the dinner with alumni, Hector Cuellar, and our visit to financial institution, DA Davidson. As a finance student, these opportunities stood out to me because I got to meet some people working in areas that caught my eye. From Hector telling us about his extensive experience in bulge bracket finance to running a boutique investment firm focused on M&A, to Bobby Santos and Jeremy Yuchen telling us what it takes to be an analyst at a well-respected middle market Investment Banking firm, these conversations have helped me tremendously to gain a clearer path toward my future. 

I also left the trip with a great impression over Loyola's growing alumni network. As Eric from the advancement team explained to me over the trip, LA is one of Loyola's biggest alumni networks, with close to 1,500 total alums as well as 250-300 active alum. These figures left an even better impression on me when we got to experience the Loyola Alumni Reception in downtown LA. Seeing so many unfamiliar, yet extremely friendly faces showed me that a Loyola degree is not just a piece of paper, it's an invitation to join a lifelong family.