Hopeful for more options to learn about finance at UCLA, six Bruins began discussing the university’s lack of a finance major while chatting over spring break this year.
The six students ““ members of Delta Sigma Pi, a business fraternity ““ decided to solve the problem by creating Bruin Finance, a student organization hoping to compensate for the lack of finance and business-related majors on campus.
The organization will host an investment banking panel in Royce Hall tonight as part of its kick-off event.
“Six of us … had this idea to make a finance organization, since we don’t have anything finance-related on campus,” said Ryan Lee, an executive board member of the group. He pointed out that UCLA does not have either a business or business finance major.
Lee, a second-year business economics student, said the group members hope to increase corporate awareness that UCLA students are interested in finance.
“It’s something to help the undergraduate community and let finance leaders talk to our students,” he said.
Eric Im, another founder of the group, said the university’s lack of a finance or business major for undergraduates had bothered him since his freshman year.
Im, who is now a fourth-year economics and Korean student, hopes to increase the resources available to Bruins interested in the finance sector.
“I’m actually in my senior year now, but I definitely felt that before graduation I wanted to start this group,” he said.
He added that events will include education and networking opportunities, and professionals will speak to student audience members.
Im said today’s investment banking panel is open to all students.
“Not only will students get to know more about the investment banking industry, but they’ll also hear first-hand experiences from professionals in the industry are fairing right now,” Im said.
A big topic of focus will be the current economy and how students can better market themselves for jobs, he said.
Im said the group is still developing and looking to plan future events. He said he is hopeful those plans will be realized this quarter.
Daniel Kim, a co-founder of the group and a third-year business economics student, said UCLA students are at a disadvantage when compared to other universities like the University of Southern California and UC Berkeley.
“A lot of firms look over UCLA students because of our lack of a finance major,” he said.
All six of the students who founded Bruin Finance are members of Delta Sigma Pi fraternity. Along with Lee, Im and Kim, the founders include second-year Peter Suberlak and second-year Megan Li, along with second-year former Daily Bruin contributor Benjamin Lo, all business economics students.
Though the group began as part of the fraternity, Kim said the executive board of Bruin Finance would like for students across campus to join.
“We wanted to let students know that their involvement with Bruin Finance is not limited to those in the fraternity,” he said.
Professionals from JPMorgan, Barclays, Credit Suisse and Houlihan Lokey will likely attend the event to advise students. An open forum at the end of the panel will provide time for questions, Lee said.
Audience members may also bring resumes for recruiting efforts and possible feedback.
Kim said the group is composed of about 70 members and hopes to attract more at tonight’s event.