ATLAS Graduate Profile: Val

A 2021 ATLAS Fellow and star hocky player at the University of Utah, Val will graduate this spring. After summer internships at Balyasny, Bridge Investment Group and Wells Fargo, Val has accepted a full-time position with the Commercial Banking Program at Wells Fargo. Read on to learn more about Val’s four year journey with ATLAS Fellows.

Why ATLAS?

ATLAS has greatly impacted my life. The finance industry is known to be exclusive and it is hard to get in without knowing the right people. Coming from a hard working immigrant family, I didn’t necessarily have the connections to enter the profession. With the help of ATLAS, I successfully completed four internships and secured a position post-graduation. I also have built meaningful, essential relationships with mentors, managers, coworkers, and other interns.

How has being an ATLAS Fellow impacted your experiences and opportunities?

Without ATLAS, I would not have had the experiences I did, particularly my first two internships. Together, these experiences prepared me with a lot of new information surrounding finance terms, helped me develop essential skills, and significantly informed my career trajectory, allowing me to identify which areas of finance align with my values and career aspirations.

You’re part of our inaugural graduating cohort! What’s next for you?

I’m excited to share that I have accepted a full-time offer to return to the Commercial Banking Program at Wells Fargo!

I can confidently say that ATLAS played a significant part in helping me secure this position. Looking at my fellow students at the University of Utah, there are little to no students with the same work experiences that I have. Having an internship at a well-established firm on my resume coming out of high school set me apart and allowed me to move my career forward faster. I believe that having early work experience is crucial in landing internships within the finance industry, which are known to be very competitive and exclusive.