The Nanooks of Wall Street

May 5, 2016

Photo by Phil Younker. University of Alaska Fairbanks students Lacey Cruikshank, Alec Hajdukovich, Hayden Nilson, and Jamie Boyle enjoy the streets of New York City during a Student Investment Fund class trip.

Six University of Alaska Fairbanks students taking a course in real-life investing recently enjoyed a visit to New York City's financial district.

Jamie Boyle, Lacey Cruikshank, Alec Hajdukovich, Stefan Hajdukovich, Hayden Nilson and Tracy Reeves earned the trip with their hard work in the UAF School of Management's Student Investment Fund course.

“Getting to meet finance professionals and talk to them about what they do every day really helped to cement what we’d been learning in the Student Investment Fund course,” said senior business administration student Stefan Hajdukovich. “It got me excited to start my own career in finance after graduation.”

Students toured the New York Stock Exchange during the opening bell and observed an editorial meeting at Fortune magazine. They received practical advice from Bloomberg employees on how to continue their financial education. They met with professionals in investment banking, private equity, alternative investments, equity research and asset management.

The professionals offered interview advice and perspectives on “a day in the life” of a banker or asset manager. Some of the advice was more tactical. At Lazard, for example, one asset manager spoke to students about how he screened investments and evaluated comparable companies to select the most attractive in the industry he covered.

The trip also involved some sightseeing, and, of course, students went out of their way to make it to a hockey game — because you can take Alaskans out of Alaska, but you can’t take the Alaska out of them.

Photo by Phil Younker. Hayden Nilson, Jamie Boyle, Stefan Hajdukovich, Kim McGinnis, Alec Hajdukovich, Lacey Cruikshank and Tracy Reeves visit the offices of Time Inc.

The SIF course (BA 454) is offered for upper-level bachelor's or master's degree students in business administration each year during fall and spring semesters. Students gain hands-on experience developing investment strategies and analyzing stocks. Students make all investment decisions for the fund, which is currently valued at nearly $1 million. The small class size allows for increased student participation, as well as a high level of mentorship and accountability. The course is appropriate for all business majors, not just students pursuing a finance degree, and involvement can lead to internships and career opportunities. The fund generates money for need-based scholarships each year, meaning these students are helping to fund the academic careers of their fellow UAF students.

The SIF students were accompanied by School of Management faculty members Phil Younker and Kim McGinnis, who went to great efforts to make arrangements after the Pavlov Volcano eruption in March suspended air flights and delayed the trip. SOM Business Advisory Council member and Clarion Capital Partners Managing Director David Ragins worked diligently on the New York side to set up meetings for the students and make their trip a success.

Photo by Phil Younker. Tracy Reeves, Alec Hajdukovich, Kim McGinnis, Jamie Boyle, Hayden Nilson, Stefan Hajdukovich and Lacey Cruikshank pose with the Wall Street Bull.

The businesses and organizations visited by the students included Bank of America, Bloomberg L.P., Clarion Capital, Fortune Magazine, Jefferies, JP Morgan, Lazard Asset Management, the New York Stock Exchange, and WM Capital Partners.

This student trip was funded by a generous gift from Northrim Bank. McKinley Capital Management, First National Bank Alaska, the Associated General Contractors of Alaska, and several individual donors provide additional support for the SIF program.