Alumni Perspectives

Where both intelligence and collaboration are valued

Teamwork is super present in every class. With each team assignment, you have the opportunity to create an environment where each team member complements the others in terms of skills, abilities, and points of view. There was always someone who excelled in math, or physics, or market sense. Together, you formed a well-rounded team. I was proud to be on the team that won the Morgan Stanley Applied Finance Project and honored to receive the Beyond Yourself award at graduation. Apparently, I made an impression for my determination to never give up. The Berkeley MFE is a great academic experience and a great human experience.

Tech takes the strategist closer to clients

My favorite part of my work at Morgan Stanley is exploring how my team can use technology to scale our activity and reach more clients through the means of algorithms and coding. This puts me closer to the business and the clients, where I can see the impact of my work more quickly. It is work that is both big-picture and very concrete.

The right mix of theory and practice

I appreciated the hands-on nature of the Berkeley MFE program. Because it combines theory and practice, you are better prepared to add value to a business right away. The class in Machine Learning with Professor Laurent El Ghaoui was a terrific introduction to a topic that will be increasingly important throughout my career. He introduced us to all of the basic concepts and gave us assignments that allowed us to use the theories in very real situations.

A welcoming, global community

I first visited the U.S. after working in Brazil, and knew I wanted to return soon. There is openness to the way people think and talk here that is different. I have learned to come straight to the point in my conversations. People at Berkeley Haas are genuinely interested in you. It is easy to strike up conversations in the library or on campus. I made many friends from places I had only seen on maps: India, Mexico, China.

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