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JSU junior Enoma Ereyimwen was one of only 73 students out of 1,500 applicants nationwide chosen to spend a week in New York at a Goldman Sachs program learning essential skills for promising diverse software engineers.
It was one of two programs he attended within two weeks. The other one was BlackRock, which is a three-day event that teaches students how economic factors can impact investments.
Ereyimwen, a native of Nigeria, is a double major in Jackson State University’s College of Science, Engineering and Technology. He’s seeking degrees in computer engineering and biomedical engineering. He described “Goldman Sachs Engineering Essentials 2019” as a “transforming experience.”
Activities during the week involved creating an application for stock visualization; cybersecurity; user-interface framework; HackerRank technology for competitive programming challenges; networking; and an overview of Goldman Sachs.
This program is “a must”
“I walked out of this program with a better grasp of how Goldman Sachs innovates in the financial services arena as well as how crucial of a role technology plays in its company,” said Ereyimwen. “I was blessed by this program. The week I spent there was great. I learned more than what most people are taught in school. I recommend it for everybody; it’s a must.”
He credits the success of the program to recruiters who organized the event and said his interaction with other high achievers left an indelible mark on him. He described his peers as “incredibly intelligent, dynamic and diverse.”
In fact, most of them were from top U.S. schools: Columbia, Duke, Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, University of California-Berkeley, University of Florida, University of Texas-Austin and Yale. In all, 45 universities were represented.
Despite the reputation of those larger institutions and their more advanced programming curriculum, Ereyimwen made sure that JSU stood out. “I worked as hard as everybody else,” he said. Still, he said he was surprised to be among such an elite group, especially since he had applied for the program just three days before the deadline.
More than just luck
He said he learned about the program through a friend who sent him a link to the Goldman Sachs website. After a video interview that included tough questions about his scientific knowledge, HackerRank experience and other topics, he was accepted by organizers.
During a competitive event, he helped his team build an application to analyze stock market data. The application was split into two main parts – the front-end and the back-end. Ereyimwen assisted with the latter and explained the process in front of dozens of skilled programmers. The entire project had to be completed within 24 hours. They succeeded.
“With Goldman Sachs’ staff, it was a privilege to be among so many great minds. They were sociable and interactive with all students. Even now, we stay in contact. The recruiters there were one in a million. I’ve never seen people who were so passionate about others. They really care about us. They designed a program that provided each of us with mentors.”
Ereyimwen’s experience didn’t just stop there. Immediately after Goodman Sachs Engineering Essentials 2019, he participated in another New York analyst program called the BlackRock 2019 HBCU Asset Management Uncovered. The three-day event provided lessons on how different economic factors influence investments, and everything that Ereyimwen learned at Goldman Sachs put him well ahead of other attendees at BlackRock.
Aside from JSU, BlackRock participants included HBCU students from Alcorn State University, Benedict College, Claflin University, Florida A&M University, Howard University, Hampton University, Morehouse College, Morgan State University, North Carolina A&T University and Philander Smith College.
[pullquote align=”right”] “I worked as hard as everybody else.” — Enoma Ereyimwen, JSU junior CSET major[/pullquote]Ereyimwen said the knowledge gained from BlackRock was essential. “We learned about business and stocks and how they apply to the real world.” Also, they addressed program applications and investments.
After experiencing two separate competitive programs back to back, Ereyimwen said he feels even more confident about his future career. Equally so, he was impressed with the work ethic of those he encountered, along with the energy of the Big Apple.
Having been born on a different continent, Ereyimwen was particularly captivated with the view of the Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island in New York Harbor and the towering skyscrapers. These, too, he said made him realize he was in a place that depicted the American Dream.
“Even now, I’m preparing to go back there,” he said.