Greenwood Project Students Learn About Quant Finance

On June 20, the Carnegie Mellon University MSCF Program participated in a Greenwood Project Lunch and Learn Session to provide summer training in quantitative finance industry career opportunities to underrepresented populations.

Founded in 2015, Greenwood Project creates career pathways in the financial services industry for Black and Latinx students. Over the past 6 years, the organization has introduced over 400 underserved, diverse students to careers in financial services and partnered with over 50 companies to enhance their DE&I efforts.

The session was co-presented by MSCF finance professor and Steering Committee member Duane Seppi and 2002 MSCF alumna Jennika Gold Thomas, Head of Data at Morningstar. Over 70 students attended the session to learn about quantitative finance industry segments and job functions, advantages of a “quant” career, compensation opportunities and key requirements to break into the industry.  

Gold Thomas shared insights on how she became interested in quantitative finance and provided an overview of the various roles and responsibilities in her stellar career progression.

The presentation was followed by a student Q/A session where Seppi and Gold Thomas addressed various topics including the entrepreneurial aspects of quant finance, trading strategies, required skill sets, career success factors and the MSCF program.