Romaine Knight, a senior finance major from Kingston, Jamaica, tackled some major projects over the 2018 summer. CUNA Mutual Group offered Knight an accounting/finance internship. While interning with CUNA Mutual Group he went through the Emerging Leaders Seminar at Yale University, Goldman Sachs Undergraduate Camp, Herring Cup. In addition to this, he was the headline presenter for the African-American Credit Union Coalition’s annual conference in Atlanta, Georgia. “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,” says Knight.
Earlier this year, he attended various conferences and competed in several competitions, both local and national. Knight also started the Prairie View Investment Club with an objective to inform, expose, and prepare Prairie View A&M University 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.”
Knight sees college as the best platform to hone in on skills to make students more marketable. He says getting involved is key to taking advantage of what school has to offer. “Leverage the network of professors around you, connect with professionals who are out there doing the work you want to do, and use that wisdom and guidance to aid you in the process of figuring it out,” expresses Knight. “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 industry. 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,” says 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.
Author: Marchita Shilo