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• 1 2020-04-13T14:47:14-04:00 HFAC Story of Self 14 plain 2020-04-28T14:55:21-04:00 Simultaneously the most frustrating and wonderful part of my Freshman year, joining the Harvard Financial Analysts Club was one of the most consequential parts of my college experience. As a Freshman living in the Yard, it was frustrating because I naively selected a Comp section that met at 10 AM on Saturdays in the Quad and I continued to perpetually (and still to this day) confuse Currier and Cabot. But that Saturday 10 AM section with Jae and Jenica was a defining part of my first semester at Harvard and was the starting point for many friendships and mentors I’ve been fortunate enough to receive through HFAC and Harvard.
  
  Five semesters later, I am in Jae’s former position as one of the co-presidents of HFAC. HFAC is Harvard’s largest undergraduate finance organization – this spring semester, we have 134 undergraduates in our educational comp which introduces the basic principles of finance, 118 undergraduates in our Asset Management group which manages a $40K investment fund, 40 undergraduates in our Quantitative Finance group and a 22-person board. Founded in 1996, HFAC has helped serve a needed void at Harvard, a liberal arts institution, to educate and provide opportunities for undergraduates looking to enter the financial services industry.
  
  
  Since joining HFAC as a freshman, I have seen the wonderful assets that this unique organization has from its vast alumni network, strong sponsor relationships and, most importantly, a broad on-campus network to connect like-minded peers.  However, I have also seen HFAC’s value diminish as our offerings to our peers have become stale and static. From my experiences as co-president and with conversations with other board members, it is clear that HFAC has not properly adapted to the needs of the student body – we do not have strong initiatives or institutional perspectives on how to address pertinent topics ranging from diversity (across a gender, race and orientation) in finance, mentorship and interview preparation, quantitative finance and providing real-world experiences. However, recent changes in board structure and culture have created an opportunity to redefine the mission of HFAC and the organization itself – I recognize my fellow board members and I uniquely have the opportunity to redefine HFAC, an organization in flux, for years to come.