Name: Leo Kaplan

Year: Senior

Major: Industrial Engineering and Economics

CFS Program: Business Field Studies

Employer: Hackman Capital

CFS has given me the unique opportunity to explore a different aspect of finance, and therefore gain a new perspective before I enter into my first full time job. Over the past two years, my work experience consisted of an internship at a global investment bank where I facilitated transactions, built financial models, and created decks for clients. I felt like I had a good foundation of financial knowledge, but I didn’t have a particularly strong grasp of how investors make decisions. Because of this, I specifically sought an internship with Hackman Capital for CFS, knowing that it would allow me to leverage my existing skills and knowledge, while providing me with insight about the side of finance I wanted to become more aware of.

My primary project through the internship was to rebuild a model that summarized the performance of the fund which had become outdated and lacked functionality. I was able to leverage the skills learned in my other internships to add value at Hackman, while also being exposed to how investors on the “buy side” think about investing in real estate, which is an asset class I had no prior experience with. I felt like I was able to add value through my work, while also learning what the investors at Hackman Capital saw as important. I am very thankful for this opportunity, and the knowledge and perspectives I have gained would never have been possible without this program.