The business learning community at Southeast Missouri State University set Tanatswa Musunda up for a career with one of the world’s leading banking and financial services companies. Now that she's graduated from Southeast, Musunda will head to New York City to begin work as a banking analyst for Deutsche Bank.
“Not only did I acquire a good understanding of the theoretical part of college, but I was also able to get hands-on experience since experimental learning is so important in college,” says Musunda.
Part of that hands-on learning was attending the St. Louis Conference for Women in Economics, a conference geared toward bridging the gap between financial institutions and women in finance multiple times. Musunda credits her attendance and the opportunity to connect with recruiters for landing her the job.
She says networking with her various faculty members at Southeast was how she figured out the opportunities that best fit her future goals.
“Their recommendations and tips for best interview practices and overall encouragement,” Musunda said. “I was able to attend a plethora of conferences fully sponsored by the University. Being in the business learning community really helped me make a great network of lifelong friends with similar passions and internships.”
Eventually, she landed her first internship with Codefi, and continued taking advantage of opportunities from there.
Musunda calls Cape Girardeau home for the time being and is graduating with a double major in finance and economics. In her new role in the Big Apple, she’ll analyze, model, research, and evaluate an array of financial decisions and support a lead deal associate on deal execution.
Musunda says she feels prepared for the career she’s about to begin due to the opportunities she took advantage of at Southeast such as leadership trainings, internships, networking events, and certifications.
“The Harrison Business College enabled me to be a well-rounded business student,” Musunda quotes. “I was surrounded by world-class professors and advisors who encouraged me to challenge myself in business. They gave stellar advice, tips for interview practices and had partnerships to help me get my first internship.”