Kudos to four students who won CAIA scholarships
Undergraduate | May 06, 2014 | Claire Curry
Congratulations to Robert Abballe (GSB ’14), Philip Belardi (GSB ’14), Evan Chambers (GSB’14) and Michael Piccolo (GSB ’14) who each won a $1,400 scholarship to take the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) examination level 1 in September.
The CAIA is the sponsoring body of the CAIA Charter, which certifies one’s mastery in alternative investments and promotes adherence to high standards of professional conduct in the field. Each year, Fordham students are awarded eight scholarships to the fall and spring examinations as part of our academic partnership with the CAIA which was formalized earlier this year.
“This partnership and certification, in combination with our coursework, secondary concentration and employer outreach positions our students to be valuable members of the alternative investment community upon gradation,” said Kevin Mirabile, D.P.S., clinical assistant professor of finance and business economics and program director of the alternative investment secondary concentration.
The area of alternative investments represents one of the fastest-growing forms of active investment management used by institutions today, said Mirabile—which is why there is a demand for licensed, certified professionals in the field.
“I expect to obtain a full understanding of alternatives through CAIA and the test will hopefully help me climb the ladder at my employer, Silver Point Capital,” said scholarship recipient Evan Chambers.
“The CAIA scholarship will offer a great way to learn about alternative investments and the role they play in the financial world,” added Robert Abballe. “I will be starting at a hedge fund consulting firm and the CAIA association will allow me to network with industry professionals and build my knowledge as well.”
The students credit their mentor Kevin Mirabile for his guidance and encouragement. “I didn’t even know what a hedge fund was when I first came to Fordham, but with his help I am now working at one of the best in the industry,” Chambers said.