An interview with Sherina Khiani, President of the Bentley University Economics & Finance Society
1. What are the goals of the Economics and Finance Society and can you tell me how the organization got started?
When I first started at Bentley University the Economic Finance Society was not an existing organization. During the Spring of 2009, I took the initiative to establish this organization. Currently, this is our first active year on campus with a general body of about 200 students. Our goal is to bring together students with an interest in Economics and Finance.
2. What type of events does the E&F Society run during the year?
We try to facilitate our goal by holding various networking events, investing competitions, and informational sessions about current economic and financial issues.
2. Sherina, can you tell me about yourself?
I am a junior at Bentley University majoring in economics and finance and with a minor in computer information systems. Besides being president of the Economics and Finance Society, I am also involved in the Bentley Investment Group. After graduation, I plan to pursue a career in Private Wealth Management.
4. With so many universities in the Boston area, do you find that the job environment is extremely competitive?
Yes, the job market has become extremely competitive in the Boston area because of two reasons. Firstly, the financial crisis that the economy is still trying to recover from has caused many firms to substantially decrease the number of jobs available. Secondly, with the decreased number of jobs available, there is great deal of competition because of all the universities in the surrounding area. For example, we are competing with students from Harvard, MIT, Babson, Boston College, and the list goes on. If I were to give advice to anyone looking for a job/internship, my advice would be to start looking as early as possible. Networking is key to landing your ideal job.
5. Where do you think the markets go from here?
I do not think the economy is going to recover anytime soon, I do believe we are going to see a second wave of the mortgage shock. We are only half way through the bursting of the real estate market collapse. The sub primes are not the only mortgages we need to worry about. We need to worry about the other two types of mortgages that became popular; the Alt-A and Option Arm. In the next 3 years, the default rates are going to increase greatly causing the second wave of the mortgage shock.
6. Where can students go to get more information about the E&F Society or to reach out to you?
To learn more about this organization student can either e-mail me directly at Khiani_sher@bentley.edu or email us at GA_EcoFinance@bentley.edu.
