Career Path of a Portfolio Manager at a Private Bank

That's a very long answer. I'll do my best to be brief.

I was a history major at Iowa State University. I was primarily involved in a lot of leadership activities, including fraternity leadership and student government, where I served as a senator. I also studied abroad in Italy, so I had a lot of general interests.

I didn't have a clear career path at 20, but I joined Teach for America, which recruits high-achieving college graduates to teach in impoverished communities. I taught fourth grade for two years in Chicago, which was a life-changing experience. I saw my students' academic achievement grow when I worked very hard to ensure they received a good education.

After that, I worked on the corporate staff for two years, growing and scaling the organization. This experience gave me skills in business development, growth strategy, and communication. I wanted to apply these skills in the private sector and decided to attend UCLA Anderson business school.

From Anderson, I explored different areas of interest and found myself drawn to economics, finance, and ultimately, investment management. After business school, I spent about four to five years in traditional, highly analytical investment roles at several firms. I then worked for about four years helping to found a company in the financial technology space.

That company had a successful run, and then I was recruited to my current role, where I manage money for large clients of PNC Bank.