Enrolled Program: BSBA, Economics and Finance
Current Role: Investment Management-Asset Liability Modeling Analyst, FLDP at Aetna, a CVS Health Company
Kyra Smolkis ’19 will be the first to tell you that a large part of her career success has been due to her connections made through the Barney School of Business. As an undergraduate, Kyra took every chance she could to interact with others and network—and the Barney School provided plenty of opportunities for that! Kyra spent much of her time at UHart in the Barney Leadership Council; as an Orientation leader; on the Barney School Board of Visitors as a student representative; in Student Government, and as a Barney School Ambassador. She was also honored to serve as the Barney School’s Commencement speaker for her May 2019 graduation. Kyra continues to come back as a guest speaker in several BAR 110 & BAR 211 classes, and enjoys sharing with the students that what they learn in the classroom will advance their careers in the workplace. Kyra graduated in 2019 with a degree in economics and finance. She is currently working as an investment analyst on Aetna’s Investment Strategy and Analytics team.
Why Barney?
The Barney School immediately stood out among all other business schools to Kyra. “This is a place where if you take the initiative to go to all the events held, you can succeed exponentially in your career,” she says. “This is an environment that fuels students who really want to succeed. From my first visit to the school, the dean made it clear that the Barney School was highly interested in the personal success of each of its students. I didn’t feel like just another business student; I felt that I wanted to succeed, and my professors and the faculty around me also wanted me to succeed. The trading room is absolutely top notch and I think this really helps with the hands-on learning experience that the Barney School provides to the students.” Even after graduating, Kyra feels a sense of community among UHart alumni that is unlike any other. “Many alums come back to UHart for guest speaking with the current students,” she explains. “You would not get that sense of community going to a larger school.”
Knowledgeable and Passionate Barney Faculty
Although there are many great aspects that Kyra is fond of from her time at UHart, her favorite thing about the Barney School is the faculty. “The professors are so knowledgeable and have such enthusiasm about their work,” she says. Many of them come from professional backgrounds in their field, which makes you feel that what your learning in the classroom can easily be applied to a job you may have later on. You can tell that the faculty is extraordinarily passionate about their subjects. The professors take the time to get to know their students, and are always willing to meet during office hours with their students to help them succeed. The smaller class sizes help make the connections with the professors possible.”
Favorite Finance Course Enabling Students to Manage $200,000 Real Dollars in the Stock Market to Generate a Return for the University Shareholders
During her senior year, Kyra participated in Professor Mulready and Professor Hogan’s FIN 510-511 course. This course was challenging and unlike any other class in the sense that students had to research, present, and vote on common stock choices to add to the University’s portfolio. The students invested roughly $200,000 set aside for the course with the goal of generating a return for the University shareholders. “The course allowed me to fine-tune my understanding of the stock market in a space where it was okay to mess-up or ask the professors for help,” Kyra says. At the end of the class, the students produce an Annual Shareholder’s Report. The experience in the class ended up propelling Kyra into her current job at Aetna. The completion of the shareholder’s report in the FIN 510-511 class, which is comparable in length and quality to an actual publicly-traded company’s annual shareholder’s report, helped Kyra tremendously in her current role in Investment Management.
“This experience in Professor Mulready’s FIN 510-511 class really helped me stand out. Experiencing real-life market turbulence with our portfolio in the class, monitoring the Fed’s monetary policies, and the analytical research involved in the class were all skills which I use in my job now. This was truly such an incredible experience that I was so fortunate to have during my undergrad”, she says.
The Fixture of Curriculum: Career Readiness
The Barney School was essential in teaching Kyra how to network. “Before coming to UHart, I knew how to talk to people, but not how to leverage my connections to get myself where I wanted to be,” she explains. “The Barney School hosted a Mocktail Networking event where students were taught how to hold a plate of food and a glass, while also shaking hands and taking people’s business cards. We also learned what kinds of questions to ask to spark a meaningful conversation with someone. It was actually through this Mocktail Networking event that I got my first internship at a financial services firm, which was hosting the event with the Barney School. You can have all the knowledge in the world, but without networking, an opportunity will be much harder to find. Networking is a lifelong skill at every career level, and the Barney School starts teaching their students this essential skill their very first year.”
Another valuable skill Kyra learned while at the University was how to interview. “Once you finally get an interview, you feel amazing, she says. “You think, oh yes—I finally got an interview! But the truth is, the candidates who get hired are the ones who are the most prepared. The Barney School puts their students through mock interviews and provides their students with extensive resources for when they land an actual interview. Many of the mock interviews are also hosted by companies in the area, which is a great way to make a connection. Many times, its more difficult to find the building where your interview is held than to answer the actual interview questions themselves. The Barney School walks you through perfecting every step of your interview, so when the time comes for the real thing, you are well prepared.” These skills, Kyra emphasizes, are essential in becoming a career-ready individual.
Advice for Incoming Students
Kyra advises those seeking an engaging college experience that will challenge them in many ways to attend the Barney School of Business. “Do not come to the Barney School if you are looking to take a back seat in your career,” she advises. “Those who put in the effort and constantly seek to improve their business acumen skills have great success at the Barney School. There is no better return on investment than seeing yourself grow into a career you love. “
Kyra Smolkis ’19 , Investment Analyst at Aetna, a CVS Health CompanyThis experience in Professor Mulready’s FIN 510-511 class really helped me stand out. Experiencing real-life market turbulence with our portfolio in the class, monitoring the Fed’s monetary policies, and the analytical research involved in the class were all skills which I use in my job now. This was truly such an incredible experience that I was so fortunate to have during my undergrad