After graduation, Ade Sotinwa ’21 will have the opportunity to begin a new chapter of his professional career, expand his network, and gain myriad valuable experiences—all while enjoying much warmer weather.
Sotinwa, an economics major, will join Citigroup as an analyst in Tampa, Fla., where he looks forward to working with and building relationships with his new colleagues. Before receiving an offer to join as a full-time employee, he interned in Citi’s Ventures Division where he learned a great deal about the workplace culture and daily responsibilities of work in the financial sector.
“Citi has an incredibly flat culture –particularly for such a large company. At my internship, I got the chance to get on calls with the chief innovation officer, chief financial officer, and global head of HR,” Sotinwa said. “It was truly incredible to learn from these people at such an early stage in my career.”
Sotinwa pointed to a variety of Hamilton experiences that prepared him for this endeavor, citing his economics courses, extracurricular activities, and finely honed communication skills as contributors to his success. He specifically noted the value of these experiences during his multiple interview rounds, where his analytical and communication skills clearly shone through.
“In one of the interview rounds, I had to do a case study which involved analyzing quite a bit of quantitative and qualitative data on the spot. I definitely think my Economics classes equipped me with the analytical skills that helped me go through that process,” he explained. “When I got the call back from my interviewer that I would be receiving an offer, one of the things she highlighted was that I was articulate in communicating my ideas. I definitely also have my Hamilton classes to thank for this.”
While his long-term professional future is still unclear, Sotinwa hopes to eventually venture into business, and is strongly considering business school as a next step. He hopes to expand his network at Citigroup to learn more about business school and the application process.
Sotinwa also provided advice for students interested in jobs within the finance field, stressing the importance of personal connections and networking outreach, as well as perseverance in the face of rejection. “Networking can seem pointless – and sometimes it really is – but people rarely get jobs today, especially in finance, without networking playing a key role, he said. “So, my advice would be to network a lot and network intentionally.”
