School of Management’s Women in Finance student group works to close gender gap

Not long after Krista DiResta ’21 finished exams, celebrated graduation, packed her belongings and left Binghamton, she started work as an analyst in the investment banking division at Royal Bank of Canada. Wanting to help other students build skills and confidence, and graduate with a job, she volunteered with the School of Management’s Women in Finance Development Program.

The educational mentorship program was formed to teach first- and second-year female students about financial skills and concepts. By pairing talented first-year students and sophomores with mentors who are juniors, seniors or alumni — and teaching Bloomberg Terminal and analytical skills — the goal is to make the mentees more competitive when seeking internships and jobs.

“I joined the program as a mentor the first semester it was created,” says DiResta, who was president during her senior year. “I was so happy that the founders [Rachel Parsons ’20 and Jessica Meano ’20] initiated this effort. I recognized this would be a huge asset to me as a new student, and I was so excited to guide women in their career journey.

“The most beneficial aspect of being president has been the ability to give back to the community that has guided me so far,” DiResta continues. “I’ve had several mentors at Binghamton who made me who I am today. I hope, through this program, I can do the same.”

Mentees find that Women in Finance offers more than the ability to form meaningful, one-on-one advisory relationships. Opportunities abound for networking within the group.

“The most beneficial aspect of being involved in the program is the network you create,” says Hannah Kozlenko, a sophomore from Brooklyn, N.Y., studying accounting and finance, who joined during the spring semester of her first year in SOM. “I feel as if I’m able to contact any upperclass students or alumni because the program gave me the opportunity to reach out to those in fields that I’m interested in.

“Furthermore, I’ve built a network with students in my own class and met women with similar interests as mine. The network and professional development have allowed me, and other mentees, to have connections at firms and within the school, and to pursue different opportunities.”

As was the case with almost every other activity at Binghamton University, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the group to shift from in-person to virtual. Although the method of interacting had to change temporarily, the quality of the content and connections didn’t.

“All the material has been the same, but nothing beats the experience of being together in person, and we can’t wait until everyone can be back in the room together,” DiResta says.

The pandemic didn’t keep Kozlenko from making the most of the experience. In a little more than a year, she has gone from mentee to mentor, won the Fall 2020 Finance Society’s M&A Case Competition and joined the Women in Finance executive board. She credits the group for helping her obtain a summer internship at Morgan Stanley.

“I was looking for a program where I felt I could really grow and be given the guidance I needed,” says Kozlenko, who wants to be an investment banking analyst after graduation. “Women in Finance was that for me.

“I was paired with my mentor, who is now one of my friends and someone I trust. She and the rest of the board helped me figure out what I wanted to pursue and gave me the resources I needed to learn how to succeed in front-office finance,” Kozlenko adds. “Joining the program was the best decision and that’s why I’m grateful to have the opportunity to help current and future mentees.”