Jacob Schurch '18

“Everybody has a different style for investing,” says Jacob Schurch ’18. “You have to take the objective knowledge you have and apply it in your own way – and that’s fascinating to me.”

At Bryant, Schurch took that idea to heart, pursuing his interests in finance, programming, and analytics, and synthesizing them into a unique path. He currently is a member of the Advisory Staff at EY in Boston.

“As the finance industry evolves, we’re starting to see the rise of ‘fintech,’ which combines technology with financial work” Schurch says. “The people who are able to utilize and understand both finance and technology will be ready to take the lead in those roles.”

Bryant’s Archway Investment Fund, a distinctive two-course program that provides students with experience managing a real portfolio worth more than $1 million, allowed him to see what it’s like to have a career in finance. “There are so many skills you’re able to learn in the program,” says Schurch, “and there’s a lot of responsibility.”

“We need to make sure we have the correct figures and the right analysis, and we need to be able to properly act on them,” he says. “If we’re not able to do all these things, we’re going to make a bad move in the market.”

He believes that the diverse elements of his time at Bryant, including internships, innovative classwork and engaging co-curricular activities, unite in a seamless whole.

“Bryant really stresses continuous learning,” says Schurch. “You take what you’ve learned in the classroom and apply it to real-world experience like internships or Archway, and then bring the lessons you’ve learned there back to the classroom.”

Real World Experience