The Accounting and Finance Society (AFS) at the University of Dallas is an ambitious and ever-growing project taken up by the president of AFS, Michael De Jesus. I had the fortune of interviewing the president over the week.
In the university’s eyes, the Accounting and Finance Society is officially a club. This title, however, fails to describe the far reach of AFS. According to Michael, AFS brings in “people from the DFW community […] like businesses and recruiters… [which is] why we call ourselves the Accounting and Finance Society.” Michael ensures every event adds value to the UD community.
The central drive of the Accounting and Finance Society is networking – “connecting UD students with the connections they need to get an internship, make real-world connections, and experiences [necessary] to succeed.”
Michael first got involved with AFS as a freshman, searching for “what UD [has] to offer in terms of the business graduates.” He had questions about career advice, discernment and alumni groups.
Since becoming AFS President, the organization has been “sprinting in full,” heading toward AFS’s mission: networking. Michael intends to aid the university graduates in securing jobs and connections on the level of a career-path. He observes a sort of exclusionist culture, saying “in business, to succeed, those don’t exist — you need a network, your connections, your team.” Michael strives to “…create a culture where this society is where you want to go to meet fellow ambitious accounting or finance students and […] get that internship.”
Michael also notes that firms such as JP Morgan and Goldman
Sachs are “…moving from New York City and San Francisco to invest in this growing regional market, especially in wealth management.”
Part of the Accounting and Finance Society’s mission is to get students into important roles through connections and internships. Michael calls members of AFS to be invested, “…willing to fight for it, join this society, ‘bleed for the team’ — go to the events, network like crazy.”
In addition to business skills and career growth, AFS builds community. Michael stated, “… the real value in any club, really, is relationships […] the biggest thing I hope you can walk away with.” At AFS events, students can learn about career paths, hear business stories and get advice.
For Accounting and Finance Society, the most difficult part of running a professional organization is budgeting. Michael reminds us that “our budget’s been slashed, but we’ve been able to know where to look, so money will not be a constraint. Again, we are bent on quality. My treasurer has been very hardworking.”
The most potent piece of advice from Michael for students curious and looking to join is this: “In business, you have to take risks […] For those who are intimidated, just show up to the event, you know, talk to me. Normally I’m wearing my blue hat, but if not, you’ll find me wearing a red tie or something […] we’d be more than happy to introduce you to everybody else.”
Aside from graduation, connections are your secondary return from university. “What you do now can really alter the trajectory of your career,” Michael encouraged, “ I hope that those people who are curious, please take some risk, come to this event, even if you don’t know anybody, and just meet some new people and shake their hand.”