Supported by generous funding from Scott Eichel '97, DFE offers advising and mentoring opportunities, as well as diversity initiatives, designed to guide students in learning about and pursuing finance careers. Read more about specific opportunities below.
Duke undergraduates: please sign up for the DFE Email List to receive notifications when Eichel Finance Advising Network opportunities become available throughout the academic year.
All undergrads are invited to meet with either John Caccavale or Emma Rasiel for guidance on finance careers and recruiting.
Office hours with DFE Executive Director John Caccavale:
- Since John is teaching away at the Duke in New York program, he will not be scheduling office hours for the spring semester.
Office hours with DFE Teaching Director Emma Rasiel:
- See Emma’s personal website for details.
Alumni Advising
Steve Columbaro ’97, an experienced investment professional, will hold in-person advising hours from 1:30-4:00 PM on Mondays this spring, starting January 13. He seeks to offer insights on finance recruiting, presentation skills, and résumé writing.
Sign up for Steve's advising hours at bit.ly/AdvisingWithSteve.
More about Steve Columbaro:
Steve Columbaro is an Instructor of Economics at Duke University and an advisor at the Duke Financial Economics Center. Steve currently teaches two seminars: Leveraged Finance and Private Credit (to be offered for the first time in spring 2025), as well as Real Estate Investing. In addition to his teaching experience, Steve has given guest lectures at the Fuqua School of Business and the Pratt School of Engineering.
Prior to his current role at Duke, Steve was the Deputy Head of the U.S. Bank Loan Team and Senior Portfolio Manager in non-investment grade credit at Columbia Threadneedle Investments. He led institutional separate account fundraising efforts and held research responsibilities in that function. Additionally, Steve has extensive investing experience in private equity, mezzanine lending, multi-family real estate, public equity, and venture capital. Steve has an AB in Public Policy Studies (minor in Economics) from Duke University and an MBA from the Anderson School at UCLA. Steve is also a CFA Charterholder.
Tim Brown ’03, a natural gas options trader at Morgan Stanley, will hold walk-in advising hours in Soc Sci 228D from 10-11 AM on Mondays this spring, starting February 24.
Tim will offer insights into recruiting specifically for Sales & Trading divisions at Wall Street firms. No appointment necessary – just show up!
Finance Mentor Program for Sophomores
Each fall semester, this program links 100+ sophomores with alumni in the financial markets, giving students the opportunity to speak informally with finance professionals, learn about different areas of investment banking, and obtain help in preparing for the summer intern recruiting process. Students engage in three one-on-one conversations at minimum with their assigned mentors during the late fall and winter. Mentors come from a variety of roles in investment banking, sales & trading, private wealth management, and equity research.
The program is not expected or intended to be a shortcut through the recruiting process. Students should view their mentors as objective advisors, not potential employers.
Join the DFE Email List to be notified when registration for this program opens in the fall.
DFE Mentoring Pods
In the fall semester, sophomores can sign up to be assigned to "pods" consisting of two sophomores, one junior, and one senior. The upper-class students in each pod provide mentorship to the sophomores as they go through the recruiting process for summer-after-junior-year finance internships. Seniors also support the juniors in their pods, helping them prepare for summer internships.
With each new school year, new sophomores are added to the pods, and the previous year's mentees become upper-class mentors. We aim for each pod to become a continuous chain of mentoring that extends beyond Duke.
Join the DFE Email List to be notified when registration for this program opens in the fall.
Senior-to-Sophomore Mentoring Connections
Linked below is a list of seniors who did finance or consulting internships in summer 2024. They have volunteered to be a resource to other students. Reach out to them with any recruiting questions you have.
Markets Discussion Group
DFE hosts the bimonthly Markets Discussion Group during the academic year, the goal of which is to bring together a diverse group of students, help them explore their interest in the markets, and provide them with foundational knowledge through informal conversation. All students are welcome, regardless of major, class year, or experience level with finance. DFE faculty facilitate the discussion.
Sign up for the DFE Email List to receive notifications about the schedule.
SPIRE Program
DFE Teaching Director Emma Rasiel serves as a mentor for the Duke SPIRE Fellows, high-achieving undergraduates from diverse backgrounds with an interest in pursuing a major and/or career in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields.
SAGE Program
DFE and the Department of Economics have integrated the STEM Advancement through Group Engagement program (SAGE) in Economics 101. Peer facilitators lead small study groups of students who have a strong interest in STEM learning at Duke.