Local organizations champion our students
Cori Roberts Receives MinneAnlytics Scholarship
Cori Roberts, graduated in May 2022 with dual undergraduate degrees in mathematics from the School of Mathematics and management information systems from the Carlson School, was selected to receive a MinneAnalytics Scholarship. Applicants for the scholarship were evaluated based on their demonstrated commitment to analytics, community, and academic excellence.
Analytics is her passion, acting as the perfect combination of the technical skills she's learned in her math courses and the soft skills she's developed as a business student. Cori was an active member of the undergraduate business analytics club throughout her college career. She has frequently utilized analytics in internships and undergraduate research projects.
Cori coached a team of high school debate students and was actively involved on campus as an honors ambassador and a Carlson Crew Leader. She has been involved in many volunteer activities including teaching English while studying abroad in Spain, tutoring life science students at a middle school, and teaching students about natural history at the Science Museum of Minnesota.
Cori was an outstanding student and her instructors particularly have called out her classroom participation, attention to detail, and helpfulness to fellow students. After graduating this spring, she is beginning her career as a technology consultant in Boston, MA.
MCFAM Welcomes its First Ever MFM Fellows with the Generosity of World Renowned Corporate Donors
The MFM program is extremely thankful for the generous fellowship gifts from world renowned firms with headquarters and major hubs in Minnesota. Parametric-a Morgan Stanley company, Cargill’s Risk Management Division, Allianz Investment Management and US Bank have all made major gifts to fund the fellowships. This philanthropy has provided a tremendous opportunity for two students who are the first in their families to go to college. These donor firms frequently hire MFM alumni and are thrilled to be collaborating on diversity and inclusion goals with the MFM program through the fellowships.
Hear from Vathana To and Korbyn Good, who have just completed the first year in the MFM. They have also been student leaders to the 2021 incoming class as well as to their professors and advisors.
Vathana To - Parametric Financial Mathematics Fellow for Opportunity and Advancement
“I knew I wanted to pursue applied mathematics and statistics following my undergraduate studies at Fresno State. But, I had no idea there was a whole field dedicated to how they relate to finance. Last year, my professor forwarded me an email about the MFM program at Minnesota, and I learned they offered a unique fellowship for students like me, the first in my family to go to college. I was so amazed and excited!
I was fortunate to be one of the first two MFM fellows ever in the program. My fellowship is sponsored by Parametric, a Morgan Stanley company. They cover all my tuition and living expenses during the program, and I get to network with MFM alumni and the leadership at Parametric. I will also be an intern here in Minneapolis this summer in Parametric’s research group. I am thrilled that I will be able to support the work of both an alumnus of the MFM, and a senior investment strategist, as well as a PhD in Economics, who is the Managing Director of Research. I could not have imagined this would happen only about a year ago when I first found out about the MFM and the fellowship!
The MFM coursework is cutting edge, challenging, and super interesting all at the same time. The community of students, alumni and professors is more than I could have ever expected. Also, the program is small enough that my incoming class is building a strong, supportive community. We have lots of opportunities to interact with our alumni and the industry network right here in Minneapolis and around the U.S. If you are considering your options after graduation, I highly recommend this program as a way to jump start your career in this field!”
Korbyn Good - MFM Fellow for Opportunity and Advancement (Cargill, Allianz Investment Management, US Bank)
“After I completed my undergraduate degree in applied mathematics at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minn., I knew I wanted to go to grad school to get more experience using mathematics to solve problems in industry. Little did I know that there was a well-regarded, professional master’s program that would help me do just that, right in my 'backyard' at the University of Minnesota in the Twin Cities.
What drew me in was the fact that the U of M’s program combines mathematics, statistics, and data science to teach students the skills to solve real-world problems in finance. But, the people are ultimately what make the MFM program at Minnesota so amazing. The alumni network is also very talented and willing to mentor new MFM students. Through my weekly career development workshops and the Financial Mathematics Student Association (FMA), I’ve met with alumni who are data scientists at US Bank, risk quants at Geneva Trading, Fintech consultants at FIS Global, and senior hedging analysts at Ameriprise Financial. As I go into year two of my MFM next fall, I look forward to welcoming the incoming class of 2022 as Co-President of the FMA."
Being awarded the fellowship made it possible for me do my master program full time, without any distractions or worries about paying for tuition and living expenses. It is an amazing change from my undergraduate years where I had to work sometimes more than 30 hours a week and maintain a full class load. After my first year in the program, I’ve met a lot of wonderful classmates and professors and by taking advantage of the MFM’s career development support, I was able to land an internship in Minneapolis at the consulting, wealth advisory, and auditing firm CLA (Cliftonlarsonallen).
The MFM instructors are approachable, and many are working professionals already in quant roles. This makes a difference in the classroom because they share timely, real-world market insights. Overall, I am very happy with the program; I believe it will help me unlock doors to interesting career paths that are not only well paid, but will allow me to solve problems in industry and gain that direct experience I was looking for.