Long before she was a director at RBC Capital Markets, a top-tier global investment bank, Colleen Osborne got an advance look at her future career in finance while still a student in Marquette’s AIM program.
“AIM laid a good foundation for the time management and prioritization necessary to succeed in the New York City banking industry,” says Osborne, Bus Ad ’12, who graduated with a joint degree in finance and information technology. “It smoothens the transition from college life to analyst life.”
Now in its 20th innovative year, AIM provides customized applied learning experiences for high-achieving finance students. Originally known as Applied Investment Management, it was renamed Accelerating Ingenuity in Markets in 2023 to reflect the addition of a new finanical tech – nologies track — Applied Fintech: AI and Business Intelligence. Students can choose between it or the original track for chartered financial analysts — CFA: Investments.
Students in AIM build technical skills and apply them in impressive ways. CFA learners manage a portion of the university’s endowment portfolio and are tasked with making stock recommendations to a panel of program alumni every week. The fintech concentration delivers high-level skills training in key areas such as agentic AI and business process automation, while guiding students in generating disruptive business intelligence and leveraging tools such as AI, data analytics and multiple coding languages in applying and valuing financial technologies. AIM was already setting the standard for undergraduate investment management education when it added fintech in 2023 to stay abreast of the fast-advancing field.
“Students have to adapt to the industry landscape by focusing on preparation and gaining real-world experiences that help them stand out.”
Stanley Nunoo, Bus Ad ’09
“The experiences our students have in AIM should be directly applicable to their careers and prepare them to add value for their future employers,” says Dr. Joe Wall, Grad ’06, executive director of AIM and the Donald F. Flynn and Beverly L. Flynn Chair of Accounting Ethics and Disruptive Technologies.
A fall break trip to New York City has been a cornerstone of the AIM program for years. Alumni host dozens of Marquette students at their firms, sharing tips on job applications and providing opportunities for face time with company decision-makers. For alumni, it’s a chance to get in touch with their roots.
That industry-to-student connection is also important to Wall. He leads his pitch to prospective students with AIM’s strong job placement rate and starting salaries well into the six figures. Every year, however, the competition for those positions gets stiffer. Program alumni are Marquette’s key to the most prestigious companies on the street.
“Our alumni are very generous when it comes to opening doors for those who come after them, and the current students benefit immensely from their willingness to share expertise,” Wall says.
Alumni guidance is especially valuable as internship application timelines come earlier and earlier. Many in-demand banks are asking students to apply in the fall of their sophomore year for internships that won’t even start until summer of their junior year, a full 18 months later.
Students will have been in AIM for only a few months before they need to make decisions affecting their long-term plans. Alumni experts like Osborne serve as a stress-reducing resource for students by answering questions, giving them a preview of what group interviews will be like and helping them discern which sector of the financial field is the best fit.
“Students have to adapt to the industry landscape by focusing on preparation and gaining real-world experiences that help them stand out,” says Stanley Nunoo, Bus Ad ’09, vice president at BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager. He makes connecting with AIM students a priority because of the “profound impact” the program and the university had in shaping who he is today.
Students find the trip equally valuable. Sophomore Jermauri Hall had never been to New York City before and felt intimidated by the city and its financial scene. However, mentors at Société Générale and other firms proved reassuring. “That first night, I had a phone call with my mom, and I told her that something felt off, like I didn’t belong there,” Hall says. “But by the end, I’d met with so many great alumni and made amazing connections. Now I feel like I belong.”
With its educational excellence, its proactive approach to disruptive technology and its alumni-enabled transformations, AIM is positioned for 20 more years of innovation.
