College Experiences That Helped A Managing Partner At Cedar Crest Capital Succeed
Kazem, a Managing Partner at Cedar Crest Capital, credits the "Invest in Banking Industry Scholars" program at Syracuse University as the most impactful aspect of their undergraduate experience, calling it a "phenomenal program" and a "bootcamp" that provided invaluable networking skills, ultimately opening many doors in their finance career. This program's focus on networking proved crucial for success, even attending a "non-target school" for many finance firms.
Networking, Career Development, Finance, Leadership, Program Selection
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Kazem Harfouche
Managing Partner
Cedar Crest Capital
Arizona State University (ASU) - W. P. Carey
Finance
Finance (Banking, Fintech, Investing)
Finance
Video Highlights
1. Network actively: Kazem emphasizes the importance of networking, highlighting how his participation in the Invest in Banking Industry Scholars program at Syracuse University significantly impacted his career trajectory.
2. Seek out specialized programs: He specifically recommends seeking out specialized programs like the IBUs program he participated in, which provided focused training and networking opportunities in the finance industry.
3. Don't limit yourself to target schools: Kazem's success story demonstrates that a non-target school doesn't preclude a successful career in finance. His experience shows the value of proactive engagement and participation in relevant programs to stand out.
Transcript
What did you do in undergrad to set you up for success in your career?
Good question. A SU was in a non-target school for a lot of companies that folks in finance want to work at. So there's a program at A SU called IBUs, the Investment Banking Industry Scholars.
It's a phenomenal program that I was a part of, and it was the single most important thing I did in my undergrad. It was a bootcamp, great training, great learning.
It taught me how to network, which ends up opening doors for everything. That was the best thing I did at A SU: getting accepted to that program.
Advizer Personal Links
cedarcrestcap.com