Success story: Suliman Al Aujan at Merrill Lynch

Accounting , Areas of Study , Finance Success Stories | Jul 11, 2013 | Nicole Gesualdo

Any Gabelli School student can testify that from the end of freshman year to the end of sophomore year, one’s command of business grows exponentially.

For Suliman Al Aujan (GSB ’15), the same can be said of his two Merrill Lynch internships.

Suliman started with Merrill after freshman year as a client associate, focused on client acquisition and portfolio management. This summer, having completed his sophomore year, he’s back — but as an analyst this time. It is an entirely different ball game, challenging Suliman to pick up on themes in the market and use them to inform investment proposals he makes to clients.

As part of the private wealth management and international markets division, Suliman is honing the same skill sets he is cultivating as an applied accounting and finance major at the Gabelli School. He chose this major because it combined the two primary drivers of finance-industry careers.

“Studying accounting and finance together works on enhancing business and commercial awareness, problem-solving, critical and statistical analysis and most importantly influencing and negotiation,” Suliman said, “all of which are key elements to succeed in the financial world.”

Suliman is working toward the Gabelli School’s new secondary concentration in alternative investments and has been an active participant in the Alternative Investment Club. His club membership has helped him at Merrill, he has discovered.

“The AIC taught me that the traditional areas of investment aren’t always attractive, and at times they don’t possess opportunities to grow,” he said. “Investing in frontier markets, commodities and different alternative-investments areas allow clients to capture certain growth opportunities that developed economies do not possess.”

About to begin his junior year, Suliman is confident that more enrichment awaits him both at Fordham and at his internships.

“I have honestly enjoyed and learned quite a lot from both divisions at Merrill,” he said.”I believe that I have yet to experience more within the next two years.”