​About Me

I was raised in Armenia, Colombia, and moved to Florida after my hometown was devastated by an earthquake. Growing up as a first-generation student, I always wanted to take advantage of the opportunity my mom gave me and find something fulfilling where I could integrate my passions for finance and technology.

When I got to campus, I chose my major in finance and thought, “all of these fascinating tech companies must have a finance department, so why not join them?” But, my road to get there has taken quite a few turns. I tried joining all these clubs and organizations throughout my first year but didn’t really find the right fit. Near the end, I did find a diversity organization called SEO, which helped prepare me for my first internship at a real estate private equity firm.

I enjoyed my time there and worked on a team of four in a case study. I appreciated that every member of my team came from a different school and major – this diversity fostered an incredible amount of innovation, which I believe is what led us to placing first among the 5 teams, and it made me hungry to continue finding what I like and don’t like.

So, when I got back to school, I met with a professor whom I’ve grown really close with and he said, “Kevin, if you can’t find something here that you love, why not create it?” So, I did. I got together with my best friend, Shaun, and started developing an application called StayFit. We grew a team of ten, and that’s how I tapped into my entrepreneurial side.

To keep developing my technical skills in finance, I did investment banking at The Royal Bank of Canada, where I received exposure to multiple verticals within Consumer & Retail. Interning at the same firm twice allowed me to really appreciate its focus on growth, despite already having a large scale and influence. More importantly, it affirmed that I want to find a middle ground that has a more entrepreneurial and technologically innovative environment.

This wild journey has led me to here, in my last semester of what has been the most incredible four years of my life so far. In this chapter, I have discovered myself on the deepest levels and truly decided what I want out of life. Though many desires have changed over the course of my undergraduate career, I did fulfill my original goal to work in a fascinating technology company that will allow me to discover new parts of the world and further build upon the global experiences I have had as an international scholar.