JPMorgan “Chases” Jaylin Hudson ’24 with internship and a job offer while at Wooster

Jaylin Hudson ’24 was inspired to pursue a career in finance after growing up in a low-income neighborhood with limited opportunities to learn about financial literacy. He found several pathways—like the Entrepreneurship Pathway at The College of Wooster—to turn his aspirations into the start of a rewarding career with one of the biggest banks in the country. And one day, he hopes to create an educational legacy for kids like him.

Hudson’s road to Wooster began when he beat out 1,500 other applicants for an opportunity to be a Posse Scholar at the College through the Posse Program, an ongoing program that brings students to one school as a group through Wooster’s partnership with The Posse Foundation. The nonprofit college readiness program serves as a support system for high-achieving students who may not have the resources to be successful in college. “Attaining the posse scholarship was one of those moments that’s just meant to be,” recalled Hudson.

Once at Wooster, he declared a business economics major to get a mix of management, economics, finance, and consulting coursework. But that’s just the beginning. Hudson decided to pursue Wooster’s Entrepreneurship Pathway, too. The Pathways program at Wooster gives students a flexibly structured approach to career exploration where they complete three to four related courses, experiential learning, and a self-guided reflection and poster presentation. This approach allows them to explore a career path without the level of commitment required for a major.

In each of seven available pathways, students gain skills sought after by employers and grad schools. Entrepreneurship students learn effective organization leadership skills and gain knowledge about communication and human behavior. They then put those into practice talking with alumni in the same field, and connect with Wooster’s Advising, Planning, and Experiential Learning (APEX) office for resume help and guidance to find internships and full-time jobs.

That’s how Hudson encountered JPMorganChase (JPMC) and how he set off an entirely new pathway to full-time employment. His journey with the company started with the Advancing Black Pathways fellowship, an early careers program that recruits Black sophomores for careers in the financial services industry. During the six-week summer program, Hudson supported partners at the firm with business sprint projects. He worked on things like enhancing financial technology to help with minority depository institutions (which inspired his senior Independent Study on mission-driven banks that reduce disparities in entrepreneurship and survival rates rate between Black and white business owners).

“A Lot of people with my background don’t get the opportunity to do internships at one of the biggest banks in the world,” said Hudson. “I loved getting the chance to network at JPMC and it opened several career opportunities for me”

The following summer, JPMC invited Hudson back for a nine-week internship as a financial advisory development tract analyst. This experience was more in depth than the first, and included time shadowing Investment professionals and financial advisors in the National Branch. His 10-person internship cohort also completed breakout projects creating monthly business reviews for segmented services. The other unique factor this time around involved studying for the Securities Industry Essentials exam—one of the initial FINRA licenses you can earn from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority to become a registered representative at a Broker Dealer firm. JPMC provided study materials and interns studied together as a cohort. Getting this license meant they were one step closer to being fully equipped to work professionally. The next steps in the financial advisory development tract are to attain the Series 7 and Series 66 exam to be admitted in the national branch as a personal advisor for J.P. Morgan Wealth Management.

With just two weeks to go before the end of the internship, JPMC offered Hudson a full-time analyst role. “Knowing I had a job offer really helped me relax going into senior year!” he recalled. The position would allow him to continue studying for and completing FINRA exams, as well as shadow licensed advisors who work with customers carrying out investment trades on the phones. He could develop a technique to handle his own customers and had a pathway to go to the national branch of advisors eventually, if he chose to.

Following graduation, Hudson moved to Westerville, Ohio, and is excited to serve as a full-time financial advisory development tract analyst. “I had to learn how to do things like buying a car, getting an apartment, and paying taxes all on my own, and it all motivated me,” said Hudson. “My current role is self-fulfilling because I like being able to be that resource for others who want to learn about securities and the risk associated with them in the stock market.” After the first two years in this role, Hudson plans to get additional licenses to become a certified financial planner. He’s also looking forward to graduate school to secure a master’s in specialized finance at The Ohio State University. And one day, he dreams of launching a nonprofit specializing in financial literacy programming to help youth back in the south.

The Wooster pathway that led to the JPMC pathway to employment was lined with mentors and support from all over campus—something Hudson is very grateful for. Laura Burch, associate professor of French and Francophone studies, mentored Hudson’s Posse cohort and helped him navigate campus resources. His academic and I.S. advisor, Melanie Long, associate professor of economics and business economics, made a game plan for Hudson to finish his senior research on time and pass his classes. Director of Student Engagement, Julia Zimmer, oversaw clubs and student organizations, and encouraged Hudson’s leadership development as the President of Scot Council.

He also gained unique experience participating in Wooster’s Social Entrepreneurship program under the mentorship of Long and Amyaz Moledina, professor of economics and business economics, and Matthew Mariola, associate professor and chair of environmental studies. Hudson and an interdisciplinary team of students completed a benchmarking analysis project for The Wilderness Center in Wilmot, Ohio, to better understand educational programing from a cost/benefit structure. He completed live interviews with STEM teachers and schools to find ways to make the center’s programs more engaging for kids. These interview skills are very similar to what he does now assessing customer goals and finding what works best for them.

“Wooster prepared me for my financial career with social development and professional development skills that taught me how to manage my time between coursework, leading student government, and maintaining a job,” said Hudson. “I gained an impressive work ethic that’s driven me to finish any task at hand.”

Posted in Alumni on August 29, 2024.