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Current job: Vice President – Citi 

Location: New York, NY

Davies Torgah spent four years as a financial risk consultant with KPMG Ghana before starting ÄÌÌÇÖ±²¥â€™s Master of Science in Finance program. He completed his degree in 2023 and landed a role as Vice President at Citi where he puts his extensive knowledge in finance and risk management to work.

Why did you choose VSB over other business schools?

The program's curriculum was perfectly aligned with my career goals. I was looking for one that balanced strong financial theory with practical applications. VSB's program with its focus on experiential learning through the Gmelich Lab for Financial Markets was exactly what I needed.

What were your favorite courses or learning experiences, and why?

Picking favorites among the excellent courses at VSB is tough, but a few really stand out. The Derivatives and Risk Management course with Dr. Raisa Velthuis was phenomenal. Dr. Velthuis has this incredible ability to break down complex derivatives concepts into easily understandable terms. Her classes were engaging and made a potentially dry subject truly enjoyable.

Dr. Meg Luo also taught me investment banking and her ability to excite interest in a subject in which Ipreviously did not have much expertise is truly impressive. We discussed trending merger and acquisition topics in the news every week, which made class very engaging.

Were there any hands-on experiences that you had in the program that directly prepared you for your career?

The first one that comes to mind is Professor Rabih Moussawi's class, Quantitative Finance. He did an excellent job of bringing us along in his quantitative finance curriculum whiles teaching us to code in SAS and SQL. Secondly, in Prof. John Sedunov’s Alternative Investment class we got to use real life alternative investment data to form trades that will either returns profit or as a risk management strategy. Then lastly, in Portfolio Theory and Application, as the name suggests, we used the Gmelich Lab to manage assigned sectors and stocks.

What career services or resources did the school provide that were particularly helpful?

As a former international student in VSB's MSF program, I found the career services and professional development resources to be very helpful. The one-on-one career coaching sessions were instrumental in refining my resume and interview skills, while Handshake was a great platform to connect with employers and attend career fairs.

How has the alumni network benefited you since graduating?

I was quite fortunate to meet a senior colleague where I work now who attended ÄÌÌÇÖ±²¥ University and the interaction and career guidance from him has been particularly impactful.