By: Scott Budlong
I had the proud privilege of representing the Kelley School of Business (March 18) in helping close the Nasdaq exchange for the day.
As a part of the Global Asset Management Education (G.A.M.E.) Forum, 1,200 students from 140 colleges, 40 countries, and 39 states came together in the heart of New York City to learn from internationally renowned finance experts and gain deeper insights on the current context of the global and national financial landscape. While at the G.A.M.E. Forum, a select group of students got to take part in closing ceremonies the Nasdaq, and I was lucky enough to be among that group.
New York City carries with it energy unique to the city so nice they named it twice. Being home to two of the largest exchanges in the world, you feel the global trades circulating through this city’s financial heart and pumping ambition back into the veins of the world. I experienced this firsthand standing within the Nasdaq stock market as we prepared to ring the bell and stop the open hours of trading. There were cameras and TV screens scrolling red and green arrows and ticker symbols representing trades, deals, and the confidences of investors. Standing there alongside so made other MBA students and financial professionals, it was hard not to get caught up in the insuppressible spirit of ambition that struggles to keep the world’s business growing, pressing humanity to an optimistic future of progress.
If the chance presents itself next year, I think any Kelley interested in finance would be well served to attend this forum. You could turn on CNBC or Bloomberg any day of the week to hear what is going on in the markets. However, it is one thing to hear about the markets and quite another to be a part of the markets seeing them work in the city that never sleeps.
I am unabashedly unashamed of my gratitude and pride in the Kelley EMBA experience. To have the solid foundation of financial education from this great program and then the experience of rubbing elbows with the 1,200 colleagues and professionals makes me feel as though I opened the candy bar with the Golden Ticket.