Romaine Knight, a senior Finance major from Kingston, Jamaica, tackled some major projects over the summer. “I was an accounting/finance intern at CUNA Mutual Group. I also went through the Emerging Leaders Seminar at Yale University, Goldman Sachs Undergraduate Camp, Herring Cup at CUNA Mutual Group, and I was a headline presenter for the African-American Credit Union Coalition’s annual conference in Atlanta, Georgia,” said Knight. “Each experience impacted me in one way or another. I started building a Rolodex of professionals in the financial services industry, and I have a solid foundation of basic entrepreneurial skills along with the framework.”

Earlier this year, Knight attended various conferences and competed in several competitions, both local and national. He also started the Prairie View Investment Club with an objective to inform, expose, and prepare PVAMU students for their journeys to the financial services industry. “Getting involved is important because, quite frankly, great grades aren’t enough,” said Knight. “When companies look at you from a holistic perspective, they’re looking for certain attributes such as your leadership skills and your ability to act under pressure. In college, these things mostly come from getting involved and taking advantage of all that your school has to offer. Leverage the network of professors around you, connect with professionals who are out there doing the work you want to be doing and use that wisdom and guidance to aid you in the process of figuring it out. Also, surround yourself with students that push you. Once you’ve identified a path, be open to change and failure.”

Upon graduation, Knight plans to enter into a Master of Finance program and obtain a chartered financial analyst designation, before joining the investment banking or consulting world. Long term, he would like to go into venture capital and help entrepreneurs build sustainable and viable ventures that have social impact and change the way the world sees traditional services. “My number one motivation is my family and knowing that what I’m doing is for the good of us all,” said Knight. “My second motivation is God and knowing that he gave me a purpose on Earth. I think that it would be a shame to waste these gifts that I received without impacting even one life. Most people believe pursuing opportunities for themselves and helping others can’t coexist because there are only so few opportunities. But, I want to help change that.”

Knight was also featured in Caribbean Life for his summer experience at Yale University.

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-This story by Marchita Shilo originally appeared in Academic Insights.