Jazmin Medina, B.S. Finance

May 10, 2009

First-generation student becoming investment banker<separator></separator>Being the first in her family to attend college had a major impact on Jazmin Medina. It made her more independent, more determined and more appreciative of what she has accomplished.<separator></separator>“I think that being a first-generation college student definitely shaped how hard I work and how grateful I am to be in the position I’m in,” says Medina, graduating in finance from the W. P. Carey School of Business. “You never forget where you came from.” When Medina started at ASU, she worked two jobs to help pay tuition, which she says was a great experience because she had to grow up fast and learn to be completely independent. Since then, she has become a Business Honors student, landed four internships, qualified for various scholarships and has accepted a full-time investment banking job at Goldman Sachs in New York City. Medina, 22, a self-described “finance nerd,” has always had a knack for numbers, so she naturally gravitated toward the accounting field. But after being introduced to investment banking during an internship, she knew she had found her calling. She began to absorb as much experience as possible, and was selected for the business school’s Investment Banking Industry Scholars program. Her experience as a first-generation student led Medina to help found the ASU chapter of the Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting. Most of its members are first-generation students, and the association offers them mentoring and helps involve their families in their college experience.