When he arrived at Hamilton, Michael O’Hare ’21 had a “rough idea” that he wanted to pursue finance, and now, after four years of finance internships and economics courses, he’s secured a job with Cain Brothers in New York City.
O’Hare will begin his position as an investment banking analyst in July. A division of KeyBanc Capital Markets, Cain Brothers is a healthcare bank that focuses on mergers and acquisitions. As an analyst, O’Hare will collect, organize, and present financial data for various deals, with his work “changing all the time” based on clients’ needs. He said he’s excited to join a team “always looking to do new things.”
Major: Economics
Hometown: Manasquan, N.J.
High school: The Lawrenceville School
The economics major applied to Cain because of his interest in healthcare-focused banking, which he became familiar with during an investment banking internship last summer. His experience with the healthcare-centric firm SVB Leerink during the pandemic helped guide his job search and academic interests, leading him both to write his senior thesis on COVID-19 and vaccine trials’ impacts on the stock market. After reaching out to Avery Klinger ’19, who works for Cain Brothers, O’Hare met more members of the bank and further expressed his enthusiasm for the division, eventually obtaining a job offer.
“I was really interested in the banking world just from being at Hamilton; a lot of people [here] tend to go into investment banking.” During his semester on the Hamilton in New York City program, he “got a taste” for investment banking thanks to an internship with Cypress Associates. Previously he had taken summer courses at the London School of Economics and worked at a private equity firm in Boston.
O’Hare said that he is eager to jump into his career and appreciates the support he has received from the Hamilton community. Familiar with the difficulties of landing a job during the pandemic, he offered one piece of advice: “I think it’s imperative that everyone understands that it can be daunting at times trying to find a job, but you just really have to have the wherewithal to reach out. Use the Hamilton network — use whatever sort of network you have.”
