ATLAS Fellows | Summer 2024 Insights
Summer 2024 marked a significant milestone for ATLAS Fellows; it was the first time we were serving all four years within our program model, which now boasts a total of 101 Fellows. We piloted a new year-one curriculum that focuses on industry readiness, workplace orientation and career essentials; we hired a new Director of Partnerships Alyse Amato to grow ATLAS’s network of employer partners and offer new volunteer opportunities for industry professionals. And, as of the end of September, we have disbursed more than $1.4M in scholarship funds.
Following is a summary of summer insights (based on data obtained from end-of-summer surveys completed by Fellows and employer partners).
KEY SUMMER IMPACT FINDINGS
- Program improvements were well received and lead to more prepared Fellows.
- Providing engagement opportunities for older Fellows is critical to maintain connection with the organization and its community.
- Early internship experiences (for rising freshmen and sophomores) provide Fellows with the knowledge, skills and network to obtain internships on their own.
- ATLAS’s four-year program model is effectively preparing Fellows to obtain full time careers in finance, as demonstrated by data on return offers received by rising senior Fellows this summer.
Implementation of New Year-One Summer Curriculum
This summer, we added two new curriculum partners to better prepare our young people to hit the ground running during their summer internships and beyond. We also finalized a new partnership with Bloomberg, which provided the Bloomberg Market Concepts course for our Fellows. Lastly, we streamlined our Excel training program through Sum Count & Beyond to help Fellows progress at their own pace and target the specific skills they needed to hone.
As part of the continuing evolution of our programming content, we also expanded on and developed new content on skills such as resumes, networking, and interviewing. Fellows were asked to rate the most impactful content during the pre-internship training period and these new lessons were overwhelming favorites.
“Through ATLAS, I’ve been able to expose myself to an experience unlike any other. Being able to emerge in such a competitive field this early, and to do so with a supportive community, is empowering. The doors that ATLAS opens—and continues to open—for under-resourced scholars are endless.”
-Anthony Davis, 2024 ATLAS Fellow
Engagement Opportunities for Upperclassmen
This summer, we focused on creating new programming and events for our rising sophomores, juniors and seniors to provide opportunities for community building, networking, and the development of new knowledge and skills. We held our first Formal Dinner event for upperclassmen, with the goal of building confidence in how to carry yourself in a formal dinner environment. We also held a very special event featuring Morgan Stanley’s Chief Human Resources Officer Mandell Crawley, who provided invaluable wisdom, honesty, and perspective for our first-generation, under-represented population of Fellows. These new initiatives were immensely popular, gratifying, and compelling.
Employer Partnerships & Independent Internship Placement
ATLAS partnered with 12 firms to host 25 upperclassmen Fellows as summer interns.
Before and during the summer, ATLAS supported these partners by hosting a “Best Practices in Mentorship” training before the Fellows’ arrival, and proactively seeking feedback through optional office hours, mandatory mid-summer check-ins, and opportunities to socialize with other mentors and Fellows at various ATLAS-hosted events. At the end of the summer, 92 percent of partners reported that ATLAS provides a credible and effective pipeline of diverse talent.
Additionally, 100 percent of rising seniors who were eligible received full time return offers, including investment banking at UBS and JPMorgan, risk management and wealth management at Citibank, commercial banking at Wells Fargo, and operations at BNY Mellon.
Head over to our partnership page to learn how you can get involved at ATLAS.
“The ATLAS Fellows program delivers exceptionally prepared candidates. The Fellows possess a strong academic foundation, coupled with practical skills and a keen sense of business acumen, making them immediate assets to our team.”
-Ding Ding, The Kiski Group
