Strake Jesuit’s Future Business Leaders Speaker Series Launches

The Future Business Leaders of America chapter at Strake Jesuit College Preparatory kicked off its activities for the year on October 24. New this year is a speaker series featuring local business leaders. David Cunningham, Managing Director of the Houston office of investment banking firm Moelis & Company, was the club’s first special guest. As club president, I had the opportunity to lead the conversation with Mr. Cunningham.

Mr. Cunningham shared his perspective from 30 years in investment banking. He outlined how he got into the field, what life is like as a banker and why it is a good career for students to consider. He believes the profession is built upon a positive and hard working culture, stating, “The people I work with are what make my job special.” He sees the field continuing to change with the advancement of technology and computing power enabling firms to work at a much faster pace. Because investment banking is a difficult profession to enter, Mr. Cunningham stressed the need for early networking and strong grades in college.  

“It’s important for me and my fellow students to hear from business leaders from a variety of business leaders to help us learn and identify what we may want to study in college,” said Ayan Panjwani, the club’s Vice President. 

The speaker series will cover many different careers by featuring speakers across a variety of businesses, including entrepreneurship and consulting. This will give members a broad understanding of the business world and unique insight far beyond what they can find from a simple Google search.

“The club will also feature workshops on skills such as resume writing, interviewing techniques and developing strong LinkedIn profiles,” said the club’s faculty advisor, Mrs. Briana Smith.