What did you do before you came to Morgan Stanley?
I studied abroad in Shanghai when I was a senior. It was an Economics exchange program. During my time there, I witnessed the migrant wave. China was growing very quickly—7% plus GDP—and people were moving from farming towns into cities. Not everyone was getting a job right away. They had something called migrant schools for the kids whose parents have accepted low income jobs. Part of that program teaches the kids English, and so I volunteered during my time to teach an English class. That was a really empowering experience.
Did you only study Economics at school?
I also studied music composition at Columbia—western music theory. I especially studied Bach theory. I took piano lessons, jazz voice lessons. It was a mixture. And I was also interested in the music management perspective. While I was on campus, I ran a blog and I would throw concert series in order to get artists more exposure to the world.
How would you describe your role at Morgan Stanley?
I work in the investment banking division, with a specific focus on technology. In short, we help tech companies raise capital and make strategic decisions about their business. Transactions that clients may consider range from an IPO or debt capital raise to a merger, acquisition or other transaction dependent upon their needs. In my role specifically, a lot of the day to day entails helping to create pitch books, build financial models, execute on upcoming deals, and do various types of analyses.
What’s a project you’ve worked on at Morgan Stanley that’s excited you?
Research did an extremely interesting report, a year or two ago, about the internet of things that got a lot of traction. We had to know it all before it was published. My team and I put the summary together so that that could be sent out to clients as soon as it came out so they wouldn’t have to go through the 100 page report. We also have a conference called The Women’s Investment Roundtable. I got to track performance metrics of the stocks that women pitched at this conference. That’s been one of my more interesting projects.
What would you say is the end result of the work you do?
The end result can be a deal (IPO, acquisition, etc.), or simply a strengthening of a relationship between a client and Morgan Stanley. Whatever it is, the most important thing is that it delivers value to the client and meets their needs. As the core value of “Putting Clients First” implies, relationships are extremely important in our line of business.
What are your hobbies and interests outside of work?
I still like that idea of educating kids, so I volunteer with Read Ahead. My boss lets me take my lunch hour every Monday to go and read with this girl who was struggling with reading. It’s been pretty awesome watching her grow over my time with her. And I actually just started taking some jazz piano lessons again. I really like staying on top of what’s going in the music world.
What are you most proud of from your time at Morgan Stanley?
A personal point of pride is just my growth here over time. It’s a very steep learning curve and sticking with it has been something that I’m really proud of.