Samuel Hirsch
Syracuse University, Whitman School of Management
“Leveraging up on college debt, hoping for maximized returns, adjusting for risk of a Syracuse snow storm.”
Fun fact about yourself: I have lived/attended school in 3 different boroughs of NYC: Brooklyn, Manhattan and Staten Island
Hometown: Bethpage, New York
High School: Bethpage High School
Majors: Finance and General Accounting
Minor: Economics
Favorite Business Course: FIN 459: Intro to Derivatives
Extracurricular Activities, Community Work and Leadership Roles During College:
- The Orange Value Fund, LLC.
- Senior Analyst (May ’18 – May ’19)
- Junior Analyst (May ’17 – May’18)
- SU Investment Club
- President (Nov ’17 – Nov ’18)
- Alpha Tau Omega, Epsilon Phi Chapter
- Chaplain (Dec ’18 – May ’19),
- Treasurer (May ’17 – May ’18)
- Sadler Hall Senate
- Vice President (Aug ’15 – May ’16)
- Office of Residence Life
- Main Desk Assistant (Feb ’16 – May ’19)
Honors/Awards:
- Martin J. Whitman School of Management – Dean’s List
- Whitman Leadership Scholar Award
- Beta Gamma Sigma – Business program honor society accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)
Where have you interned during your college career?
Markets Summer Analyst, Citigroup Global Markets – Manhattan, NY (summer ’18)
- Rotate across 3 trading/sales desks: Equity Specialist Sales, NAM Solution Sales, USD Interest Rate Volatility Gamma Trading
Financial Representative Intern, Northwestern Mutual – Farmingdale, NY (summer ’17)
- Completed the licensing course for the NY State Life, Accident, and Health exam in order to sell insurance products
- Built and maintained customer relationships to identify needs and develop sales pitches, resulting in 10 clients sold
Where will you be working after graduation? I will be working at Deloitte as a Securitization Analyst in its Jersey City office.
Who is your favorite professor? It is very hard to narrow it down to one professor, but one in particular who has had a lot of influence on me is Fernando Diz. He currently serves as the managing director for the Orange Value Fund, and I have had the pleasure to take numerous courses under his instruction. I like how he has a deep understanding of value investing, and how he is able to articulate his style and how it differs from that of other great value investors. Professor Diz has also always been open to talking about career paths, and overall has helped me both in the classroom and outside of it.
What did you enjoy most about your business school? One thing that I enjoyed the most about my business school was that even though we were one of many specialized schools on campus, we had a tight-knit community within Whitman that had its own culture. I also enjoy how Whitman gives you so many opportunities to excel not only in the classroom but through extracurricular activities as well. I think this is an important part of a wholesome learning experience.
What is the biggest lesson you gained from studying business? One of the biggest lessons I gained from studying business is the competitive nature that is needed in order to succeed. Just by the way the classes are graded off a curve, if you aren’t the best in the class, you won’t get the high grades. This could be translated into real life, where if you aren’t one of the best at what you do, you may not see yourself become as successful as someone else who outperforms you.
“If I didn’t major in business, I would be majoring in or studying…international relations. I have become very interested in world events, especially in this day-and-age where so many influential policy decisions are being made. I think it is super fascinating how the world has become connected, and how each policy decision has a global chain reaction.”
Who most influenced your decision to pursue business in college? My decision to pursue business in college stems from my dad’s entrepreneurial mindset. I have watched him build many businesses from the ground up, and I wanted to learn the skills needed to run my own business in the future.
Which academic, extracurricular or personal achievement are you most proud of? I am most proud of my ability to be the president of the SU Investment Club. I had been coming to this club since I was a freshman. At first, I didn’t understand what was going on, so I needed a lot of mentoring. These mentors are graduated from Syracuse now, but I wanted to give back to the younger students, and have the same impact on them as my mentors had on me. Being the president of SUIC gave me the avenue to give back.
Which classmate do you most admire? One classmate that I admire the most is my good friend, Hendrik Hilpert. This individual has inspired me to work 10x harder through his diligence. One thing in particular that I am forever grateful for is all of the interviewing practice Hendrik gave me when I was preparing for internships. He had no reason to help me out but did so because he is a good friend. I will always enjoy the moments when I walk into the backroom of the investment center and Hendrik and I can talk about school, world events, or just what’s been going on in our personal lives. Cheers, Hendrik!
Who would you most want to thank for your success? One person I want to thank for my success is Michael LaMarche, the current director of Career Services at Syracuse University. I had the opportunity to work with Michael when he was a career advisor for those majoring in finance. Michael was always brutally honest with me when I needed it the most, and has always been willing to sit down with me for a few minutes to discuss anything about school or personal lives. I appreciate the time and effort he put into me, and will forever be grateful!
What are the top two items on your bucket list?
- Visit every continent (Yes, Antarctica, too)
- Skydiving!
What are your hobbies? Some of my hobbies include playing basketball, watching sports (NY Yankees, NY Giants, NY Knicks, all Syracuse teams), attending music festivals, Fortnite, reading novels, swimming, collecting watches, cooking and traveling.
What made Samuel such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2019?
“Sam joined the Whitman community with a very clear goal – to work in the financial services industry. Since his first days walking our halls, he has taken the initiative to excel inside and outside of the classroom to stand out among his peers. Sam’s plan worked, because those who know him, love him. Beyond achieving academic excellence in his double finance and accounting major – on track to achieve summa cum laude at graduation – Sam has taken pride in giving back and leading those around him. He has been the president of the Investment Club, but his time sharing his talents as a finance tutor was among the most rewarding to see. Sam has spent two years in the prestigious Orange Value Fund where he has researched and learned the fundamentals of value investing, now serving as a mentor to the newest members. Sam will soon be living his dream of being on Wall Street, but we have no doubt he will never stop learning, leading or helping to bring out the best in others.”
Lindsay Quilty
Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Programs
