Welcome to Season 2 of Work in Progress—a limited podcast series exploring the unique career journeys of Amherst College students. In today’s episode, Senior Marketing and Communications Intern for the Loeb Center Ava Zielinski ’25 chats with Jaclyn Kim ’25 about her passion for music, leadership within Amherst’s Women in Finance organization, and different networking tips to deepen your professional relationships.
Jaclyn is an Economics and Music double-major. At Amherst, she is co-president of Women in Finance, a member of Chamber Music, and is an Employer Engagement Intern at the Loeb Center. After graduation, Jaclyn will be pursuing a career in the finance industry.
The transcription below has been edited for clarity.
Ava:
Welcome back to Work in Progress, where we’re talking about student stories from both on the Amherst campus and beyond.
I’m Ava Zielinski, the Loeb Center’s Senior Marketing and Communication Intern. And today, I had the joy of speaking to Jaclyn Kim, who is a current senior here on campus, an Econ and Music major. And we dove a little bit into her interest in the finance industry, both while she has been at Amherst and beyond, and a lot about networking and different networking tips that you can utilize in your day-to-day.
Well, Jaclyn, welcome in. Thank you for being here. Really excited to have you. So yeah, first of all, just launch right into it. Tell me a little bit about yourself.
Jaclyn:
Hi, I’m Jaclyn. I’m a senior econ and music double major and I’m from Cherry Hill, New Jersey.
Ava:
So not too far away. But I’m sure that the winters are definitely more mild than they are here.
Jaclyn:
Yeah. I mean, like, I grew up in the winter, in New Jersey, we had the beach. We had really bad
hurricanes and rainfalls. But it’s only like a five hour drive.
Ava:
You’re far enough away to feel like you’re away. But you’re not so close.
Jaclyn:
Which was something I wanted in a college. So that my parents wouldn’t come every weekend.
Ava:
Oh, for sure. Okay, so you’re Econ and Music, what exactly drew you to those majors to begin with? And is that also something that was sort of a draw to you to even come to Amherst?
Jaclyn:
Honestly, I had no idea I wanted to do music because music is a passion of mine that I’ve been doing since I was really young but econ is something that I’ve been interested in. I took Econ-111 and I was like, this is kind of hard. Why is this kind of hard?
Ava:
I’m with you on that, because when I first started here, I was actually planning on being an English major. Which when I tell my friends that knowing, like, what they know now about my majors where I’m Econ and Spanish, they were like – really? Seriously? And I was like – yeah.
I kind of just threw myself into econ and then realized that, like, it’s hard. It’s really hard and it really pushes the boundaries of your knowledge and the way that you look at things. But it’s also really interesting, and I didn’t realize that I would like it so much.
Jaclyn:
And the different electives I think are offered are really interesting. I’ve taken a few with Professor Reyes which is kind of like looking at anti-racist and anti-economics like, what is like the mainstream economic things that aren’t, you know, like really popular or well-known.
Ava:
For sure. I think the liberal arts perspective that the economics department does have here is really wonderful.
Because even personally explaining to people that I have done internships with over the summer and stuff like that, you know, being an econ major, etc., a lot of people are a little bit confused about the approach that we take. I think that the more holistic sort of way of looking at it is just more interesting and also less cookie cutter and allows you to think critically.
And so a lot of people, you know, are your typical business majors and personally I don’t know if I would have become a business major if that was the only option. Whereas with econ it allows you to have a little bit more of an interdisciplinary approach. So I totally agree with you on that.
Jaclyn:
Yeah. And my other part, the music part, honestly, I just took a few music classes. I was like, econ’s pretty hard, let’s do something that I want to fill up my course load with. And the music classes all filled up. So I was like, I might as well just double major. And that’s a really good thing about Amherst, like double-majoring is pretty doable.
Ava:
Yeah, absolutely. I love to hear about people’s majors here, especially most people that I do know are double-majors, or if they have one major, it’s often because they’re pre-med or on the pre-med track, which is probably a major and a half in and of itself, which is wild.
But I know we all talk so much about academics at school and the things that we have to do and the exams we have to study for and the papers we have to write. But learning about people’s majors, I feel like, is a really great insight into what they’re passionate about and hearing about things that they might study a little bit more for a pre-professional route versus something that they’re really wholly passionate about. And those passions still aid the major that might be a little bit more difficult or that may be more time intensive, etc..
And so in terms of music, so you’ve been doing music since you were a kid? Were you learning instruments? Were you dealing in music theory when you were like five or something and really getting into all of that?
Jaclyn:
I really did not know music theory until I came here. And for the music major, you need to learn music theory. Like composition, which was not the good part about the major, but you have to get through it. And I think it has kind of improved my knowledge in music and how I understand music.
But I did play some instruments. I do play the piano now, and I used to play the violin and viola.
Ava:
What would you say is your favorite instrument that you’ve played so far?
Jaclyn:
Piano.
Ava:
Okay, so what do you like about that so much?
Jaclyn:
I don’t know, there’s so much you can do with it. And honestly, the pieces that I listen to on YouTube and Spotify, I’m like, wow, I really want to play this. And that gives me motivation to practice on my own. And the music center has so many pianos that we work with. They do need to be tuned a bit. But the fact that they’re there is good.
Ava:
And so are you also involved in music on campus outside of your major?
Jaclyn:
I’m in chamber music, so I get to play pieces with friends. It’s pretty fun. We get to choose the pieces we want and get coaching.
Ava:
And so are there any other activities or organizations on campus that you’re also involved in?
Jaclyn:
Yeah. So let’s go back to the econ side. I’m the co-president for Women in Finance. And that club has been something that I’ve really wanted to work hard on and build it so that it’s approachable and easy for girls on campus to enter and get more finance knowledge. That might not be as easy to get through other clubs or because we’re a liberal arts college, you just don’t have a finance major and it’s through upperclassmen and our individual experiences that I think that the younger classmen can learn a lot from.
Ava:
So now what exactly interested you in the Women in Finance group in particular when you first entered Amherst?
Jaclyn:
I guess the upperclassmen for me as well. I saw Women in Finance and I was like, What is that? I didn’t see that much advertisement. But one of the upperclassmen that I got closer with she was like you should definitely join and the meetings were very low key.
You can make friends, network easily, and I feel like that’s the first step in entering a pre-professional route, especially something like finance. It’s getting the experience and the practice before you go out.
Ava:
For those of us that do not necessarily know what goes on within the Women in Finance group, if it’s shrouded in mystery or not, what exactly do you guys do in your day-to-day in your meetings and things like that? And what exactly is your role in leading that group?
Jaclyn:
So me and my board, we plan events. So this includes workshops, financial accounting and stuff. We also have guest speakers from people that I’ve interned with or the other people have interned with to talk about their experience and any advice that they have for how someone can break into the finance industry.
We also have Stephanie from the Loeb Center who talks with us every semester, and yeah, just a way to network, know how to coffee chat, and build experience.
Ava:
What do you think is a really big advantage of having a women-specific finance organization on this campus? What do you think really adds to the experience not only for students but for the campus itself?
Jaclyn:
The title in itself gives the idea of diversity and it is women in finance. But there are men who are invited to join. It doesn’t have to be just women, because the knowledge that we learn is applicable to both women and men.
And I guess like the whole Women in Finance idea is to be open because finance may not be as open, it might be hard to fathom what it is and how you break into it. But on this campus, our goal is to make it feel like you don’t have to be a finance major or an economics major to be in Women in Finance. You can just join to learn.
We do budgeting events as well to learn how to budget. How do you maintain your money, save money when you grow up? And we’re not professionals, but we all learn together.
Ava:
That’s amazing. Especially nowadays. I think learning about finance and finances was almost like a taboo subject. And it was only knowledge that was meant for those that worked in the industry and especially the idea of financial literacy or power in your finances and understanding investing especially as women, who traditionally were not a part of the industry or not necessarily in very high positions in the industry is really interesting.
So learning that you all do that beyond the fact of a pre-professional track of networking and knowledge gathering, there’s also the other side of being able to assist students with the topics that we don’t learn in our education, which is really interesting too.
So were you always interested in finance or was your interest in Women in Finance, etc., more from a financial literacy standpoint? Do you want to talk more about that?
Jaclyn:
I think I learned more or thought about finance more as a career my sophomore year. Because freshman year, I was like, I’m just taking a few econ classes, but I was like, What do I really want to do that will make money?
And so the Loeb Center has been a great resource for me since my freshman year, and upperclassmen really recommended it to me. When we were freshmen, we had to wear masks and everything, it was hard to connect with upperclassmen at that time, even within our grade as well.
And so I was really lucky that I had some upperclassmen who recommended things like, Talk to the Loeb Center. They kind of help you in finding out what route is best. I talked to Stephanie and that’s how I kind of got into the sophomore trek.
I went on the Boston Finance trek. That was really eye opening because we got to talk to professional people and sit in really professional tables and environments. The way that they talked to us is like, we’re equal. They want to teach us. They want to mentor us and guide us into knowing that finance is something that we can also be interested in, and I think the whole experience was nice because we talked to private equity firms and alumni, and that kind of made me more interested to delve into different opportunities within finance.
Ava:
And do you think that experience especially helped you in understanding maybe what specific area of the industry you would like to go into in the future?
Jaclyn:
Definitely. We focused on private equity firms and some investment bank firms, but not as much in wealth management. And so I already had a sense of how fast-paced or slow-paced each different firm was, or industry was in finance.
And I think that in itself was enough for me to connect the dots and talk to other people. I think it was a great way to make connections because making connections is something that’s an active effort and that’s something that I really wanted to pursue, past the finance trek.
Ava:
Now, how have you been able to create those connections and to maintain them over the years as well, being able to access such wonderful alums in such great positions and then being able to actually follow through on that in the future?
Jaclyn:
For me, I have a few people, I did write down everyone’s names, which was important. And then you add them on LinkedIn and then you write them a little message.
And you’re like – Hi, I remember you from the finance trek, and nine – no, ten out of ten times they’re going to accept you because they remember you as well, especially if you made an impression.
One thing that I like to do is remember at least one thing from a conversation I liked and I go back to that connection or little thing that I remember about them and bring it up the next time I reach out to them.
Ava:
That’s a really smart point. I’ve never heard of that before.
Jaclyn:
It’s an active effort on your part, but it works.
Ava:
Especially, I think the idea of networking can be so mechanical and also transactional sometimes, too. And it’s very hard to realize that you also network in everyday life in other areas of your life, but because you’re not labeling it that way and it maybe is not pre-professional, it’s a little bit different.
I mean, you’re networking with the TA that you attend class with and you need your homework help and you’re trying to create a relationship with them throughout the semester to be able to learn and study for your exams and do well. And you’re networking with people that you might have your campus job with and understanding how those people can help support you and you can help support them in the role that you’re functioning in for them.
So there’s a lot of ways to think about networking in the idea of trying to put a different spin on it – sort of making it a little bit more personal where in pre-professional environments it can feel a little bit sterile is really interesting.
Jaclyn:
Yeah, it doesn’t have to be serious if you don’t make it.
Ava:
Now kind of following up to this, I know as a senior, you’ve had your fair share of job experiences and things like that. Something that I remember was trying to find an internship going into my junior year. So this summer between my sophomore and junior year was a tough one and it was really hard to find roles.
There were fewer roles in general for students who were not going to be immediately graduating the following year, but then also finding roles where someone would want to accept you not having very much work experience, especially in what, like you were saying, the very formal fancy, sometimes intimidating environment.
So how exactly did you go about trying to seek out an opportunity for yourself to be able to build that base?
Jaclyn:
One thing is that Handshake is your best friend. As an employee engagement intern for the Loeb Center, we get to approve which internships should be on the Handshake that the students scroll through.
Handshake has been updating and improving every year, and I think is a very accessible
way for employers to reach out if they see what your interests are.
Handshake was something that I used a lot in my freshman and sophomore year. As a sophomore, I applied to this diversity internship and through that I was able to make a lot of connections and get my internship experiences through that.
Just in general, networking is something that everyone should become more familiar with because it can help you in a lot of ways, in ways that you don’t have to be like, please get me a job. But in ways that you can kind of put your foot in the door.
Ava:
That absolutely makes sense. Now, how do you think that aided you maybe finding your following year’s internship?
Jaclyn:
Lucky for me, I did well on my internships and got return offers for two years in a row. So I was able to maintain good relationships with the people I worked with.
And during internships, it’s really important for the people you work with to like you. You just have to be a friendly person. Honestly, if you’re someone that people don’t like to work with, why would they want to have you again?
Ava:
That’s absolutely true, I think also something we discuss a lot. Again, we keep talking about networking. Everyone talks about networking to get the job, to get the internship, to get somewhere. But it’s also important to be consistently doing that while you are currently in your job too because it’s important to get there, but it’s all about the journey, not the destination, right? And it’s important to keep it.
And the journey continues when you do have the job. And there’s a job to do and there’s deliverables that you have to be able to report on a day-to-day basis. So that’s very true.
I mean, what exactly did you do during your internship experiences to ensure that you did create these good relationships, especially seeing people in person or talking to people over Zoom and interacting with them every day?
Jaclyn:
You always need a reason as to why you want to talk to someone, so I always reach out for coffee chats. But it’s important to be professional when you ask someone for a coffee chat, and know that they’re busy and they’re taking time out of their schedule to talk to you.
And when you do meet them, the first thing I like to do is introduce myself and be like, This is my reason for why I want to talk to you so that they know you’re not just reaching out just for the sake of reaching out.
Ava:
Yeah, you’re not reaching out for something for them to do for you in return. Or just like a yap because they’re busy people. You can’t be spilling tea with somebody who’s, you know, levels above your job position that you currently have.
Jaclyn:
It’s also really important to do your research beforehand. At my firm, there’s like a biography thing where you can learn what this person has done over their career. And of course, you ask that person to give a little background of themselves, but it’s good to have questions prepared beforehand.
Ava:
That’s really smart. I think something that I’ve noticed, too, especially in networking with people, is it’s very easy also as an intern to reach out to network. Because you’re somebody who’s there temporarily.
You’re somebody who’s valued by the company because they’re investing their time and money into you as much as you are doing some work for them. And it’s always very easy to go into a chat from a point of mentorship or looking for mentorship just because people love to talk about themselves. And they were also once in the position you are in or where you were in.
And so to try to impart some knowledge is such a pro-connection, prosocial kind of activity that most people, if not all people, really love to do. So instead of trying to go in as an equal, kind of going in a little bit as a subordinate and saying, you know, listen, you have knowledge to give to me. And that’s what’s going to make the conversation valuable.
Now, I know we’re running a little bit short on time, so with all of your knowledge that you’ve also imparted on networking and I’ve learned so much of this too, even as a senior, where do you see yourself going after graduation and what also can you tell students about your experience at Amherst or give advice to future students?
Jaclyn:
Really take into consideration the fact that our school is an open curriculum and delve into it because honestly, like thankfully finance and econ has worked out for me. But what if it didn’t? There’s just so many different routes that you can delve into through our open curriculum and also through the Loeb Center to kind of guide you.
And I guess in the near future I see myself doing finance. Gaining experience and skills and wanting to improve myself. And I think finance is a great way for me to grow.
But I guess maybe in years or in the future, I do want to really pick up my passion for piano and maybe be a small, low-key piano teacher.
Ava:
Amazing. Well, thank you so much for this conversation. There’s been so much knowledge spilled. And thank you very much.
