In January 2014, Carolyn Zhou ’15 attended an alumni/student networking event in San Francisco entitled Business in the Bay. Alumnus Mike Bartels ’04, MSF ’05, vice president, New Listings & Capital Markets at NASDAQ, was on the panel that addressed the audience that evening. During the presentation, Bartels outlined his career path and some of his personal keys to success. Inspired by what she heard, Zhou approached him and explained that she was interested in the financial industry and would love to speak with him for a few minutes. They chatted, exchanged business cards and a few months later, after a successful phone interview, Carolyn was offered a summer internship at NASDAQ.

From Zhou’s perspective the internship didn’t disappoint.

“Working at NASDAQ was such an incredible experience,” explains Zhou. “In my role, I supported the IPO team – helping with presentations, gathering information and developing pitch books. Based on my experiences in Bentley’s trading room, I felt very prepared to take on the tasks at hand. I also became a true member of the team, and was even invited to come back to the NASDAQ holiday party when I was home during holiday break.”

Bartels had equally glowing remarks about Zhou’s performance.

“It was easy to tell from the start that Carolyn was a smart kid who was eager to find an internship in the Bay Area,” says Bartels. “Carolyn performed very well and helped us accomplish a number of initiatives over the summer. I’m certainly glad we brought her on board!”

Fast forward to today. Thanks in part to her experiences at NASDAQ, Zhou recently landed a full-time offer at Deloitte’s San Francisco office in their AERS Advisory group. She will begin her new job following her graduation from Bentley in May 2015.