Skip to main content

Andrea Tomasini '20, BHC Scholar and finance graduate, will be joining BNY Mellon Pershing as part of their trade surveillance team! While at UCF, she was actively involved with the Young Investors Club at UCF and credits the knowledge she's gained from her honors courses to helping her exceed expectations in her internship, leading to her job offer with BNY Mellon. Andrea's future plans include learning as much as she can about the financial services industry to work up to a management position.

Tell us about yourself. Why did you choose to study finance?

Starting undergrad I knew I wanted to study something that I truly enjoyed and [that] I wasn't just picking a major based on prestige or financial potential. Knowing that I had a great interest in the stock market since high school and traded stocks as a hobby, I decided to pursue a degree in finance to increase my knowledge in the field and potentially turn a hobby into a future career. Ever since I came across this realization, my undergrad became the most enjoyable 4 years of my life, as I was passionate about the content that I was learning and I was able to apply concepts I learned in the classroom [to] my personal trading.

What are some of the accomplishments at UCF that you are most proud of?

During my time at UCF, an accomplishment I am most proud of is interning at the Bank of New York Mellon and staying part time [with them] while I finished my senior year. This experience exposed me to the financial services industry and I immediately knew that this was where I wanted to be after graduation. Furthermore, I was able to put the concepts I learned in my finance courses at UCF into use in a real-world setting and gain experience at a young age. Additionally, as a member of the Young Investors Club at UCF I was able to meet like-minded individuals who shared their knowledge with me [and] pushed me to step out of my comfort zone and network within the industry. Lastly, graduating summa cum laude after 4 years of hard work is something I will never forget.

What advice do you have for other BHC Scholars who may want to pursue a similar path?

My advice to other BHC Scholars wanting to pursue a career in finance would be to first get your academics in order. After getting your GPA as high as you can, I would recommend networking with your fellow classmates as well as professionals in the industry. Don't be afraid to reach out to someone [on LinkedIn] with a position you might be interested in. My advice is to always be open to learning as much as possible and to make your name known out there.

What will you be doing after graduation? How did BHC help you on your academic journey and in achieving these goals?

After graduation, I will be joining BNY Mellon Pershing full-time as part of their trade surveillance team. I will be providing day-to-day support with the operations needed to report trades and fixing rejection to FINRA [the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, which serves to regulate brokers and firms that sell securities in the United States]. I personally think that the BHC pushed me academically in a way that fueled my curiosity to learn more about finance. I was able to have conversations with BHC professors that went beyond what we learned in the classroom and they provided insight to what the finance industry was really like. The content and quality of the classes in the BHC really allowed me to increase my knowledge about finance, which allowed me to exceed expectations in my internship, leading to a full-time offer.

What is your long-term goal/future plans?

My long-term goal is to gain as much knowledge in the financial services industry as possible and work my way up to a management position.

If all things go right, 10 years from now I will most likely be...

...enjoying a fruitful career, traveling when I can and starting a family.

Who is a famous person you have met?

[I have met] players from the U.S. women's soccer team, including Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, Ashlyn Harris, and Tobin Heath. I'm a very big soccer fan!