I applied for a Goldman Sachs internship after being inspired at a conference hosted by Forte Foundation, an organization focused on advancing and supporting women in their careers. Prior to the conference, I thought the finance world wasn’t for me, but I started to change my mind once I heard several diverse women speak about their experiences. I met a Goldman Sachs recruiter at the event who encouraged me to interview for roles at the firm.
I joined full time in 2018 on the Capital Introduction team in Global Markets, and worked there before transitioning to the Sustainable Finance Group. I always had interest in working in sustainability and tackling issues such as climate change and structural inequity, so when Goldman Sachs launched the Sustainable Finance Group in 2019, I reached out to an analyst on the team as soon as I read the announcement to learn more.
The Sustainable Finance Group is focused on two secular trends, climate transition and inclusive growth. Our team partners with business leaders across the firm to deepen knowledge and expertise, develop capabilities, and holistically deliver ESG solutions to clients. As an analyst on the team, I spent time supporting the delivery of commercial solutions for our clients and helped manage our external communication strategy to ensure we amplify the great work the firm and our partners are doing in creative and engaging ways. For example, last year I helped bring to life our sustainability report in which we shared the firm’s commitment to deploy $750 billion in sustainable financing, investing and advisory activity by 2030.
Going forward, I am excited to focus on One Million Black Women, an initiative to invest more than $10 billion alongside $100 million in philanthropic capital over the next decade to address opportunity gaps for Black women in the US. Black women, both within and outside of the firm, are at the center of this initiative, from its design and implementation to its impact. We will focus our investments on healthcare, education, housing, workforce advancement, digital connectivity and access to capital for Black women. By focusing on key moments in Black women’s lives, we can make a unique contribution to advancing racial equity.
My passion for social impact really helped during the Goldman Sachs Gives Analyst Impact Fund competition in 2019. My team advocated for a nonprofit called Moneythink, which empowers under-represented students to achieve college success by making their financial planning process clear and actionable, thereby helping those students avoid the #1 cause of dropping out–affordability. My team received a $100,000 grant, as well as an additional $25,000 that we were awarded for being the “fan favorite” as voted by colleagues from around the world who watched the finals. It was an exciting but also daunting process, but thanks to the support and encouragement of my teammates, I became a much stronger presenter as we moved from the first pitch to the last.
Outside of work, I enjoy yoga and meditation. A close friend in my intern class always encouraged me to practice it more, and now it’s something that I integrate into my everyday routine. I also became a yoga teacher this year. You have to invest in yourself to do your job to the best of your ability, and I think it’s incredibly important to see the firm prioritizing that by offering virtual meditation sessions. In fact, some colleagues and I are in the process of launching a mindfulness community which will continue to build on the existing resources the firm offers. We’ll have more speakers. We’ll have senior leadership advocating for mindfulness. We’ll interview senior partners at Goldman that have a daily mindfulness practice. It’s very exciting!