PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas (May 25, 2022) – A team of Prairie View A&M University students who took part in a semester-long program culminating in a case study competition took home fifth place and $155,000 in grants from Goldman Sachs, the New York City-based investment banking, securities and investment management firm.
Anisah Hassan (sophomore, finance), Adriel Okolo (sophomore, computer science) and Chase Blackston (freshman, management) represented PVAMU in the competition, which initially involved 27 HBCU teams, with a dozen teams of underclassmen entering the final round.
“The competition was an amazing experience, and I am so much more confident not only going into my venture capital internship this summer but also for the rest of my career in finance,” said Hassan. “I have had the opportunity to network with not only Goldman professionals throughout the firm, but I have also had the opportunity to connect with my fellow HBCU students participating.”
Beyond simply networking, Okolo said the chance to interact with Goldman professionals at the competition presented a win/win opportunity for both sides.
“It was truly a great experience,” agreed Okolo. “Throughout this whole semester, we had access to many Goldman Sachs employees who were excited to help in any way they could. Many of them were filled with joy to even see us in the program and for us to reach out for help because many of them didn’t have that help when they were in our shoes.”
About Market Madness
Goldman Sachs Market Madness: HBCU Possibilities Program is an annual immersive introduction to key financial concepts and their real-world applications. Held virtually this spring, the program required a time commitment of about three to four hours per week, including training sessions, group project work and networking events.
The team’s capstone project consisted of evaluating and recommending long-term business strategies to PepsiCo, the firm given to the team to study, conducting market research, creating financial models and performing SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis, and constructing and presenting an engaging pitch deck.
“From the program, I can really tell Goldman takes pride in their diversity initiatives,” Hassan said. “Especially considering the Goldman Sachs’ firm-wide Black Network that connects Black associates and HBCU graduates to one another in the firm to form a support system. Breaking into the world of finance can be intimidating due to the lack of representation, but Goldman completely demystified any feelings I had of uncertainty.”
Okolo credits the program with helping him secure his 2022 summer internship with Verizon and hopes to encourage more students to participate in this and similar programs.
“I know it’s a little difficult to stay on top of schoolwork and still attempt to work toward post-graduation career goals, but it’s very possible,” Okolo said. “I’d add that it is also important to find a mentor. Just create a LinkedIn page and begin to reach out to alumni of PVAMU who work in your chosen field or even at your dream company.”
A Place for Everyone
Placing fifth in the final round of the competition netted $155,000 for PVAMU, in addition to $10,000 in scholarships for each of the participating students from every school in the competition. Hassan, who hopes to intern in Goldman’s Consumer and Wealth Management division next summer, called the Market Madness program “vital to breaking barriers in careers like finance and bringing the Black community closer together.”
“It was a very immersive experience where we had plenty of opportunities to network with our HBCU brothers and sisters from other schools, even virtually,” said Hassan. “There were many breakout sessions where we got to talk to other students, and now many of us are connected via LinkedIn. I am beyond grateful for this opportunity and look forward to mentoring Prairie View’s team next year,” she said.
Now, Hassan has been asked by Goldman Sachs to step up and bring forward her networking and interpersonal communication skills to PVAMU by establishing a Scholars of Finance chapter at the university.
“Scholars of Finance mentors future finance professionals in the development of character and integrity,” said Hassan. “It is also meant to help students network within the industry and develop valuable skills to make them competitive candidates.”
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