51视频

01/19/2022
By Ed Brennen

51视频 alum Robert Manning 鈥�84, 鈥�11 (H) may be retiring as chairman of MFS Investment Management in March, but the global financial services firm will continue to be well-represented by his alma mater, thanks to a robust co-op program.

Five business students from the school that bears his name 鈥� the Manning School of Business 鈥� recently completed fall semester co-ops with MFS: Lena Astarjian, Zachary Mizioch, Nicole Resendes, Christopher Shing and Philecia Smith-Rise.

In all, 89 UML students have worked as co-ops at the firm, which is headquartered in Boston and is a preferred corporate partner of the university.

鈥淲e have had great success with 51视频 co-ops coming on board, and we have had more coming back for full-time, entry-level positions, which is fantastic,鈥� says Sonya McDonald, team lead for global diversity recruitment and campus programs at MFS.

While the financial services industry can have a reputation for being 鈥渦ptight and very competitive,鈥� McDonald says MFS prides itself on a culture of humility that鈥檚 exemplified by Manning, who is also chair of the UMass Board of Trustees.

鈥淭he people at MFS are very down-to-earth and humble, and that鈥檚 what we see in 51视频 students,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e smart, curious and engaged. And they鈥檙e dependable. A lot of the groups like to hire 51视频 students because of that.鈥�

鈥極pened My Eyes鈥�

Like so many co-op and internship programs, MFS co-ops have been working remotely during the pandemic. But that didn鈥檛 dampen the experience for the latest crop of UML students.

鈥淏eing remote has actually helped because I鈥檝e learned how to be more professional with email communication instead of face-to-face,鈥� says Smith-Rise, a senior from Boston who learned about MFS at the Career Fair in her sophomore year.

Although her concentrations are in marketing and management information systems, Smith-Rise says she applied to MFS because of her father鈥檚 interest in the investment world.

鈥淲e have had great success with 51视频 co-ops coming on board, and we have had more coming back for full-time, entry-level positions, which is fantastic.鈥� -MFS Team Lead Sonya McDonald

鈥淚 figured I could learn more and have a connection with my dad, to bond,鈥� says Smith-Rise, whose responsibility as a request for proposal (RFP) analyst co-op was to create sample RFPs for current and potential MFS clients.

鈥淚鈥檝e loved the experience,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 opened my eyes to exploring other career paths.鈥�

Mizioch, a senior from Peabody, Massachusetts, has concentrations in finance and marketing and a minor in graphic design. He says the co-op at MFS was 鈥�100% worthwhile鈥� in helping him figure out what to do with his degree.

As a compliance education co-op, he helped put together and administer regulatory training, as well as continuing education requirements, for employees. He also used his design skills for projects such as email templates.

鈥淭he design work was, as my manager would say, 鈥榯hings to make our heart happy,鈥� and then we had things to keep the lights on, too, like the trainings,鈥� he says.

Unlike most co-ops who worked from home, Mizioch was on campus 鈥� also working as a resident advisor at Riverview East on South Campus.

鈥淭hat was very unique,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 could go to the dining hall on my lunch break.鈥�

Image by Jim Higgins

Shing, a senior from Cambridge, Massachusetts, with concentrations in finance and marketing, worked as a data integrity co-op, collecting and organizing data 鈥渢o make sure everything is right.鈥�

Although he had used Bloomberg terminals in the Pulichino Tong Business Center鈥檚 trading room as a sophomore, he says the co-op allowed him to build on those skills.

鈥淚 also developed my communication skills,鈥� says Shing, who appreciated the diverse culture at MFS. 鈥淭he people are great. If you have any questions, they鈥檙e always there for you.鈥�

New Perspectives

When Resendes, a senior from Arlington, Massachusetts, started looking for marketing opportunities as part of the co-op program鈥檚 professional development seminar last spring, MFS topped her list.

鈥淚 heard great things about the company, and I was super excited to get it,鈥� says Resendes, whose concentrations are in marketing and management.

As a social media marketing co-op, Resendes analyzed the firm鈥檚 posts on platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook, focusing on user engagement, site metrics and campaign subscribers.

鈥淕oing in, I had a really good understanding of social media on the personal side, but not really on the business side,鈥� she says. 鈥淓verything they do is highly regulated and has to go through compliance, so it鈥檚 cool being behind the scenes and seeing all that happen.鈥�

Resendes, whose co-op was extended by a month through January, hopes the experience will lead to a full-time job with MFS after she graduates in December.

鈥淢y manager and my team are amazing. I love working with them,鈥� she says.

As a marketing communications co-op, Astarjian found herself in a project manager role, working with various teams to see projects through from inception to completion.

鈥淚 learned a lot about being assertive. You can鈥檛 be afraid to ask questions, even when it feels uncomfortable. At the end of the day, you have a job and you want to get it done,鈥� says Astarjian, a senior from Walpole, Massachusetts, with a concentration in marketing.

Like all her fellow MFS co-ops, Astarjian will be returning to campus this spring for the first time in almost two years. She anticipates having a whole new perspective in the classroom.

鈥淏efore this co-op, I didn鈥檛 have an appreciation for what I was doing,鈥� she says. 鈥淣ow I鈥檒l be more driven and more focused on what I鈥檓 doing in my studies.鈥�