Leaders of the UAB Green and Gold Fund opens a new website at the Collat School of Business recently traveled to New York City to present the group’s investment strategy at the Quinnipiac University Global Asset Management Education (GAME) Forum opens a new website.
The Green and Gold Fund— a student-led investment group— was one of only 11 universities selected to present to a panel of Wall Street professionals, said faculty advisor and finance instructor Daniel Sanabria opens a new website. Nearly 100 universities attended the conference.
Quinnipiac’s GAME Forum is the world’s largest financial conference focused on student-run investment funds, with opportunities for students to hear from keynote speakers and attend panels on professional life.
“Overall, it was the kind of trip any finance student would dream of,” said finance major and Green and Gold Fund member Tristin A. King. “For two days, we were taught by some of the world’s most prominent leaders in finance, and when we weren’t doing that, we got to experience the entirety of New York City.”
Presenting to panelists was a tremendous honor, he said.
“It's a privilege to represent the students, donors, and advisors who have all helped us get to NYC and talk about our fund on the big stage, and we took full advantage of it,” King said. “The panel of judges we presented to were financial professionals, and they applauded our fund and its unique structure. They’ve never seen a fund be managed by students with the intention to generate returns that feed right back to students through scholarships. Not only was our structure unique, but so was our strategy, and the panelists were impressed by our breadth of knowledge and understanding of investing.”
He noticed some key differences between the Green and Gold Fund and student-run funds at other universities.
“We invest in equities and fixed income,” King said. “We also allow students to be a part of the Green and Gold Fund for the entirety of their time at UAB; many schools only offer it as a two-semester class.”
Finance student Reed Parrish was also among the Green and Gold Fund members to attend the forum.
“It was interesting to see everyone’s perspective on everything from macroeconomic conditions all the way to individual investing,” he said. “There were a ton of different universities and different students there from everywhere.”
Parrish said the UAB team also enjoyed visiting restaurants, taking the subway, touring Central Park and visiting the New York Stock Exchange during the trip.
He said he highly recommends his peers participate in the Green and Gold Fund and attend the GAME Forum.
“I came to UAB as a transfer, and I didn’t have a whole lot of prior knowledge,” he said. “I thought I would fall behind in my classes, but once you go into the fund, it’s very structured and you get to meet like-minded people. If you put forth effort, you can excel beyond your classes.”
King said any UAB student can participate in the Green and Gold Fund, not just finance students.
“There’s a spot for everyone in the Green and Gold Fund, irrespective of major,” he said. “We have a marketing team, an accounting team, financial analysts, portfolio managers, and even a compliance officer. I think it’s important that every Collat business student gains real-world experience managing money.”