“I enjoy giving back to the community that has given me so much”
February 2024 – Drew University alum Sammie Booth C’19 has applied her degree in economics to land a position as a portfolio manager for Hudson Valley Investment Advisors, a $1.2B Registered Investment Advisor connected with Orange County Bancorp, Inc.
She recently returned to Drew to share her experience and knowledge with undergraduate students during an Investments course. In Drew’s new state-of-the-art Bloomberg Trading Room, she shared her approach to portfolio management, client relationship management, and the importance of keeping a keen eye on the markets.
Booth has been able to apply the hands-on experiences she gained at Drew to build a successful career in finance.
“I reflected on the countless experiences at Drew that helped me get to where I am today—involvement in our Wall Street semester program, Civic Scholar program, and competing as a student athlete on Drew’s softball team,” said Booth.
“I am fortunate for Drew to have afforded me each of these experiences. I enjoy giving back to the community that has given me so much. Between the rigorous academic curriculum, investment in Bloomberg Terminal technology, and proximity to New York City, Drew students have an exceptional opportunity to thrive in Finance.”
The experience was especially poignant as students were able to not only learn market information from a recent alum, but envision themselves in successful careers post graduation.
“The experience was great because she worked in large investment corporations and transitioned to a smaller one now, so she was able to provide insight into similarities and differences within the work environment,” said finance major Nicolas Curcio C’25, who is interning this summer at MetLife Investment Management.
“She spoke about how her company views different types of investments which directly relates to what we were learning in class. It was beneficial because it allowed us to connect the material to a real world example.”
Associate Teaching Professor of Finance and Associate Chair Department of Business Steve Firestone, who teaches the Investments class, organized Booth’s appearance. “We were honored that Sammie had the opportunity to speak to current students,” he said. “She has achieved remarkable success in the investments industry as a portfolio manager in such a short period of time. Drew students really benefit from these types of experiential learning experiences.”
