Adam Kaplan

Experience Prior To The Program

Prior to joining the Romero Mentoring program I had taken 1 beginner level finance class and interned at a private wealth management firm. If you are familiar with these experiences you know they are not very practical and do not apply to actual finance roles. I knew I wanted to learn the real world technical skills that I did not have access to in college, but I also needed some guidance on the basics and where to start. Knowing where I was and where I wanted to be, it was evident that the Romero Mentoring program was exactly what I needed to reach my goals.

Training Experience

I found the one-on-one mentoring to be the most valuable. Anybody can watch videos on how to build a financial model or how to trade stocks, but it is invaluable to have someone with the experience that Luis does coach you every step of the way. You are able to see how he does due diligence and looks at investments, which I think taught me the most.

This directly translated to my career goals of working in investment banking because I was able to see how an investment banking analyst properly does due diligence, build a valuation, and overall deliver a presentation that tells a story.

I attribute every internship and full time job I have received to this program. Understanding what I do now, I know the university I went to does not teach students the information necessary to be successful in finance in the real world. With out this program, I would not have the technical skills or professionalism that gained.

Internship Experience

The internship experience followed the training program very well. After you learn the technical skills you have the ability to apply what you learned in real world applications.

During the internship I would constantly look back at the videos and try and mimic how Luis would analyze the valuation. I would practice correct modeling practices and try to understand exactly what Luis was looking and thinking about.

Mentorship

As I said above, the one-on-one mentoring was probably the best part of the program. This is an experience that many students cannot get elsewhere. Especially coming from a non-target school, it is difficult to learn correct practices and you end up doing a lot of work on your own. Having someone who has worked in the industry and understands the correct way doing research, building a model, and presenting the information is incredibly valuable.

Career Development

I attribute every internship and full time job I have received to this program. Understanding what I do now, I know the university I went to does not teach students the information necessary to be successful in finance in the real world. With out this program, I would not have the technical skills or professionalism that gained. I also would not have the financial vocabulary and be able to have knowledgeable conversations with professionals in the industry.