Graduation Speech by Former MS Investment Banker

Here's a high school graduation speech given by a former Morgan Stanley investment banker and current Senior Associate at the Carlyle Group.

http://cumlaudesociety.org/node/31

I found this speech rather interesting for two main reasons:

1) She's giving this speech to a group of prep school girls who probably have no idea what investment banking or private equity is, yet she still somehow manages to inspire them.

2) Her transition from academia to business was inspired by a short yet powerful poem by Robert Frost.

She has got a ridiculous resume as well. MBA from Stanford. MPhil from Cambridge. Summa Cum Laude from Harvard.

Just curious what your thoughts are...

7 Comments
 

Sorry no video, but it's really not that long.

Econ, I remember reading that also. Unfortunately, it was after I graduated haha.

"Rage, rage against the dying of the light." - DT
 

That speech compresses all the thoughts in my head (the second one). Good read for me. Hopefully I do it the right way.

 

Dolore expedita ut quia eveniet sit occaecati. Molestias illo mollitia omnis consequuntur sed modi omnis. Distinctio sunt omnis magni corporis. Est non cum quibusdam. Consequatur sit ea quas eos dicta voluptates tempora at.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • Guggenheim Partners No 97.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.2%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.2%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (81) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”