SGA Student Senate Logo.
Photo submission by Austin Dixon.
FAMU’s Student Senate concluded Wednesday’s meeting with a bill still pending that would pay for the School of Business and Industry students to attend a financial conference in New York.
Many students in SBI, considered one of the university’s top programs, land enviable internships and often go on to good-paying jobs with Fortune 500 companies.
A group of 10 students has requested SGA’s help — the estimated cost is $3,500 — to attend the Chief Financer’s Organization (CFO) in New York. It is an organization that looks to prepare students for financial organizations and services beyond the classroom.
This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity is being offered to SBI students majoring in finance. This would allow them to come face to face with some of the biggest marketing companies in the world on Wall Street.
“The CFO is an organization that prepares students for internships with financial services that are financially oriented and eventually help create job offers and career paths for those students,” Judicial Rules Committee chairman Xavier McClinton said. “They (CFO) are looking to fund 10 students to go to New York and sit in front of corporate executives and companies such as J.P. Morgan Chase Co., Wells Fargo Securities, and Goldman Sachs.”
The conference would allow 10 students to experience what could possibly be a life-altering opportunity for them in the financial career field. It could also be a stepping stone for a life-long career within the financial industry.
Another reason the passing of this bill is important, according to some senators, is that this can potentially help FAMU and SBI gain exposure on a national platform.
“This is an opportunity for students to land top-notch internships and full-time opportunities through Forbes 500 companies, which ties directly with their majors and exposes them to what their potential careers can be,” Senate President Rochard Moricette said. “It can also put FAMU in the spotlight, outside of the state of Florida, because we’re (FAMU) an international university and people come to FAMU to recruit our Rattlers.
“When our students go to the career fairs here at school (FAMU), there are Fortune 500 companies out there such as Apple, Wells Fargo, Walmart, and Microsoft,” Moricette added.
While the bill has yet to be finalized, Moricette seems adamant about making sure the proper steps are taken to ensure the passing of this bill.
“We have to review the financial components, like getting invoices and quotes for their travel components and everything of that nature,” Moricette said. “It shouldn’t be a problem passing this bill, we just have to get the final numbers and go from there.”
The bill is expected to be revisited at next week’s Senate meeting on Feb. 11.