Every year, the FEP discusses which student has exemplified leadership, passion, and commitment to the goals of the FEP. This year we decided that person is senior, Timothy Evans!
Tim Evans has been participating in FEP competitions and activities since his freshman year in 2010 and has always proved to be hardworking and dedicated. He is the president of the Duke Investment Club for which he designed and taught the Investment Club’s Training Program: an 8-week course on financial markets and investing. "Students meet with me (and now my successor – Zhou Fang) for an hour or two every Sunday night to learn material that isn’t really available in a traditional classroom setting. The class is open to everyone…we generally have close to 100 students complete the course every semester," says Evans.
He and two other Duke students also recently won the 2nd Annual Atlanta Hedge Fund Challenge.
We interviewed Tim to find out more about what experiences at Duke shaped him into such an exemplary leader.
1. What was your major/minor/concentration when you came to Duke?
Economics Major (Finance Concentration) / Philosophy Minor
2. How did you hear about FEP?
I’m actually not sure as it was so long ago! I became involved during my freshman year. I’m sure it must have been from older student mentors within Investment Club.
3. When did you start participating in FEP?
Almost positive it was freshman year – at least attending events and joining the email list. I competed in competitions as a sophomore, did the Boot Camp as a junior, returned to mentor during the Boot Camp as a senior.
4. Why did you participate?
Involvement with the FEP was always one of the first things I heard about when I asked older students for advice my freshman year. Everyone had great things to say about Professor Rasiel and John Caccavale. I actually joined the FEP my freshman year. Once I got to meet them and learn about the program, I knew that the FEP was exactly what I was looking for within my Economics studies.
5. What have you learned from participating in FEP events?
Really too much to list: presentation skills, networking skills, finance skills. It all blurs together in my mind as one complete package, but one that certainly helped prepare me for my internship and job.
6. What was your favorite FEP competition/activity?
For me it was probably the Boot Camp – I studied abroad the fall of my junior year, and the Boot Camp was a great way to hit the ground running upon my return to campus. Because I did the competitions as a sophomore, I was relatively inexperienced.
7. Would you recommend FEP to others and why?
Absolutely - The FEP is really a can’t-miss opportunity for Duke students interested in financial markets. It is an amazing avenue to access Duke alumni who work in the industry and to develop relationships with the firms that recruit on campus. Most importantly, the FEP helps bridge the gap between the classroom and the real world – it brings real world applications to Duke’s liberal arts education, providing the best of both worlds.
8. What advice can you offer to your underclassman?
I am constantly amazed by the power of networking. I think as an underclassman, it is hard to imagine how big of an impact your network can have on your experience and your success, and I would encourage them to start developing relationships, particularly with mentors, as early as possible.
I have benefited enormously from mentoring, and I really believe that it is important to pass along that tradition and become a mentor yourself if you are in a position to. Duke has an amazing amount of resources at your disposal, but you have to be proactive in seeking them out.
Tim Evans will begin working on a distressed credit research desk as part of Brownstone Investment Group’s Capital Strategies group. Brownstone is a fixed income broker-dealer founded by Doug Lowey, a Duke alumnus from class of 1988.
Economics Department