Dylan Knight
Looking to join an organization on campus that will improve your resume and help you make those difficult adult decisions? The Financial Management Association International can help you do just that.
“One thing we’re trying to do is give value back to the students. We’re trying to achieve actual internship opportunities and job opportunities,” said Andrew Barnes, 21, a senior finance major and president of FMA. “We’re trying to help students look past graduation and at getting a job while they’re still students.”
FMA is a global association that can help you gain knowledge about your own decision making while connecting you with professional individuals in your field of work. It helps the community by extending knowledge, promoting understanding of financial practices, furthering education in finance and providing you with connections to other students and professionals while giving you a hands-on experience in business. You’ll hear speakers with expertise in the field and be able to take advantage of the many internship opportunities available.
“We’re building this organization from the ground up and we’re looking for different view points to help launch the club,” said Barnes.
Barnes also added that there is room for everybody and leadership rolls are always available as the club is still being developed and organized.
“I just fell into this board position,” stated Taniesa Velez, 21, a junior economics major and vice president of membership. Her position entails recruitment of new members and upholding the standard requirements set by the organization.
Nicholas Tang, 28, a senior accounting major and vice president said that now is the best time to become active in FMA because you get to play an active role in developing the structure and organization of the club.
“We’re lucky here. We really get to run this club ourselves and get our feet wet in management,” said Tang.
FMA also takes an annual trip to New York and other big cities to see the world of finance in action.
“New York is great. Just going to classes can close your mind on how to use what you’re learning. When you go to New York, you see that people do use what you’re learning in school. It opens doors to jobs you never new existed,” said Barnes. “We got to spend a lot of time on Wall Street and see things that are generally closed to the public.”
“In the spring we go to NY to visit with the biggest Financial institutions in the world. We are from the fewest schools in the nation to get this opportunity. Last year also, a group of 20 students travelled to LA to meet with Google executives and learn about the Google future plans,” said finance professor and FMA Advisor, Dr. Mahdy Elhusseiny.
FMA will be hosting a discussion event Nov. 18 where you can meet and listen to distinguished professionals in finance and hear great advice regarding foreign trade from 4 to 8 p.m. in the multipurpose room of the Student Union.
“We’re bringing some of the finance world to Bakersfield,” said Tang.
The club also hosts other events year round.
“We do events in the fall, winter, and the spring. We do visit local financial institutions, we do yearly FMA/UAA mixer where we invite about 15 companies on campus and visit with our finance as well as accounting students for internships,” said Elhusseiny.
Want to get involved? FMA hosts meetings every Monday from 3 to 5 p.m. in the Green Room of the Student Union. For more information, visit the club’s website.
