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Paul Lanna ’99 is the vice president of investment banking at EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. in New York, N.Y. Over the interim session, He served as an externship host for Michael Miller ’10 (Princeton, N.J.), who is majoring in economics & business. The following is a first-hand account of Lanna’s perspective on the hosting experience.
Let me begin by saying that I was lucky enough to participate in the externship program 10 years ago during my junior year at Lafayette. I spent a week as an extern with Whitney Boucher ’80 at Janney Montgomery Scott and that experience formed the foundation for the career choices I have subsequently made. The opportunity to hopefully have a similar impact on the career of another Lafayette student was something that I could not pass up.
Michael Miller ’10 joined me for a week at EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. in New York City during January. EarlyBirdCapital is a boutique investment bank focusing on advising and financing small and middle market companies. Michael wanted to learn more about the role of an investment banker and the steps necessary to enter the profession.
I tried to give Michael a taste of some of the many tasks that an investment banker is responsible for during the course of the day. Michael was able to sit in on a number of meetings with clients, he attended an investor luncheon as part of an initial public offering, and he had the opportunity to see the materials that will be used by the firm’s sales department when targeting new investors. I also tried to give Michael my perspective on working for both large and small firms on Wall Street and to offer my advice on getting his foot in the door if he decided to pursue investment banking as a career.
This was the first year that I participated as a host in the extern program and I plan on making the program a January ritual going forward. It was very gratifying to allow a student to benefit from the lessons that I have learned since graduating from Lafayette. It was also a great opportunity to reflect on my own career progression and the choices I have made. I hope Michael found the week to be as rewarding as I did, regardless of the career he chooses to pursue.