Class of ’21 Strikes Gold with Three Grads to Deutsche Bank

Three members of the Class of 2021 – Amanda Kim, Jaydin Knight, and Jafar Sharipov – have parlayed internships at Deutsche Bank into fulltime positions with the international investment bank and financial services company.

Kim, who was hired as an analyst in the investment division, was drawn to Deutsche by the people who work there. “The culture at Deutsche Bank is very much focused on teamwork. As I spoke with people across the firm, it became very clear to me that their emphasis on community wasn’t just some marketing pitch,” she said. “Everyone I talked with genuinely liked and respected their colleagues, enjoyed working at DB, and wanted to support me. My summer internship only reinforced that.”                                                  

Kim’s internship with the financial sponsors group last summer allowed her to work closely with interns from other groups and alumni mentors from the Hamilton team at Deutsche Bank. Due to the pandemic, she wasn’t able to work on actual deals or have on-desk experience, but she still learned a lot. “The main focuses of the shortened internship were networking, technical training, a team innovation project, and a final case study in which we had to pitch an acquisition to a hypothetical sponsor. All of those experiences were incredible learning opportunities,” Kim said.

She said her liberal arts education has been a huge advantage. “Technical skills are something you can learn easily on the job, but knowing how to work well in a team, adapt to unexpected circumstances, communicate well in both speaking and writing, and navigate steep learning curves are skills that are much harder to teach someone, so I’m grateful for the lessons I’ve learned at Hamilton,” Kim said.

Jaydin Knight, who was hired as an investment banking analyst in the financial institutions group, was drawn to Deutsche Bank because of its strong Hamilton alumni network.

“Once I began to speak to Hamilton alumni within the bank, I realized I was learning a lot from simple conversations,” he said. “The bank invests a copious amount into the development of junior employees, and that was evident in its mentorship program. If I was able to learn from senior-level members as a prospective intern, I am excited to see how much I can learn as a full-time employee.”

The first two weeks of Knight’s virtual internship last summer focused on the bank’s presence around the globe. The last two weeks were group-focused, with interns working within their designated groups for more technical training. “The last week was a case study that required us to use our knowledge from our brief training course to determine the value of a company in a leveraged buy-out pitch.” he said.

While studying at Hamilton, Knight developed what he calls “the ability to think alternatively.” Because liberal arts students don’t have as much technical training, he said, they must be able to think critically about a problem from multiple perspectives — a skill that is imperative in any line of work.

Knight looks forward to meeting his team and being in the office alongside the alumni who guided him in the hiring process at Deutsche Bank.

Jafar Sharipov, who was hired as an investment banking analyst, was drawn to Deutsche Bank when he was a sophomore exploring different career opportunities. “I was fortunate to stumble upon Deutsche Bank’s information session and coffee chats on campus. The team led by our alumnus who runs the investment bank, Mark Fedorcik [’95], did a fantastic job explaining the firm’s culture, values, and important deadlines for recruitment,” Sharipov said. “After that, I had a much better understanding of the firm, the industry, and the job itself, which allowed me to identify more clearly my next steps.”

Sharipov interned under the tech, media and telecom (TMT) group, where Hamilton has a strong representation of alumni analysts. “Having this network made me feel truly supported in the summer, as our alumni were the first ones I would reach out to if I had any questions,” he said.

As a Hamilton student, Sharipov developed skills in time management. “Juggling between a full load of classes, athletics, and two on-campus jobs has taught me how to be efficient with my time and how to properly allocate my priorities. This is particularly important in investment banking, which is known for its demanding hours and uncompromised quality,” he said.

He also learned to quickly adapt to new environments and absorb information. “The curriculum at Hamilton pushes you outside of your comfort zone by having you take classes ‘foreign’ to your major, thus forcing you to learn new concepts effectively,” Sharipov said. “This is vital for liberal arts graduates with no finance background, as the learning curve in investment banking is quite steep and requires you to absorb new concepts like a sponge.”