27 March 2013 11:55AM
The 2012-13 Financial Education Partnership (FEP) Leadership Award is awarded to Jessica Chang and David Martorana, both seniors set to graduate May 2013.
This annual award is bestowed to the Duke students who best exemplify leadership, passion and commitment to the goals of the FEP.
"Both Jessica and David have shown enormous commitment towards mentorship of younger students, both as mentors themselves and by fostering the development of formal mentoring structures within the Duke undergraduate community,” said Professor Emma Rasiel, FEP Director.
Jessica Chang is an Economics major with a Computer Science minor. David Martorana is a Mechanical Engineering and Economics major. Both students have a finance concentration within the Economics major.
“My original major was Mechanical Engineering and Economics. I added a finance concentration later after deciding the Economics courses I was most interested in were finance-related,” said Martorana.
“By chance, I spoke to a few juniors who recommended that I connect with Professor Rasiel and the FEP if I was interested in a career in finance. The first thing you realize about Professor Rasiel and the rest of the FEP is that they are genuinely invested in your success.”
After graduation, Martorana will begin working with JP Morgan’s Global Rates trading desk.
Chang, who will be working in Investment Banking at Wells Fargo Securities in the Leveraged Finance Group, heard about FEP through Duke student mentors.
“I participated in my first FEP competitions and lunch and learns my sophomore year. I also had FEP mentors my sophomore and junior year, both of whom I still keep in contact with,” said Chang.
“One of my mentors advised me early on in my Duke career to always be building my board of directors and it’s one of the best pieces of advice I’ve received thus far. What I mean by this is to proactively find mentors and sponsors," explains Chang.
"Mentors can serve as your sounding board, guide, devil’s advocate, motivational speakers, tough critics, etc. Sponsors are people who will vouch for you and pound their fists at the table for you. Sponsors are critical in career progression so make sure you find a few good sponsors at Duke.”
Mentorship at Duke
As an Executive Board Member of the Investment Club who strongly believed in the benefit of mentorship, Chang started the club's mentor program and continues to mentor several students. She is also the president of Business Oriented Women (BOW) and continues to provide mentorship to her BOW underclassmen.
Similarly, Martorana is a mentor to several undergraduates. He is also the president of Scale and Coin and has taught its six week business curriculum for four consecutive semesters to more than 100 students.
“The allure of the FEP is that there is no shortage of selfless mentors. These mentors are students, faculty, and even industry professionals. Without them, I wouldn't have been given half the opportunities that helped me to learn about finance and develop personally and professionally.”
Advice for Current Students
Chang and Martorana encourage students to be actively exploring new opportunities and passing along knowledge to underclassman as they did.
“Never be complacent because someone younger and hungrier will eat your lunch. The limit to what you can achieve is dictated by exactly one person: you. So do more,” Martorana advises.
“Give back,” says Chang. “As you progress in your Duke experience and become older and more experienced, help mentor and develop younger students and pull them through the pipeline. It’s a really rewarding experience and it’s fun to see your mentees succeed.”
Economics Department