Persistence and networking tactics helped land the position
June 2024 – When Ben Cacoilo C’26, a finance major, was seeking a summer internship, he began researching investment firms in the New York and New Jersey area.
He started cold calling and emailing executives at over 25 firms, a process he started during the fall 2023 semester. His persistence landed him an interview with the founder and managing partner of Broadfront Capital Management, a meeting that led to an offer to join the team as a summer associate intern.
At Broadfront, Cacoilo works as part of a team to ensure clients experience financial wellness and are informed of the spectrum of product offerings. “I have been in charge of creating reference guides that will be sent out to clients and have assisted in some other smaller projects as well as other day-to-day tasks,” he said. “As the summer goes on and I get familiarized with the process, I will begin helping with the financial management side of the business and look deeper into each client’s situation to be able to learn how to best tailor an investment strategy for that client.”
Prior to Cacoilo’s internship at Broadfront, he had the opportunity to intern at W!se in New York City, a non-profit in the financial education sector. He interned for CEO and President David Anderson, who is also an adjunct professor at Drew. “By taking on this position, I was able to learn more about the industry as well as put myself in a position where I was in a real workplace environment that allowed me to work in teams and problem solve, as well as use software like Excel and PowerPoint,” he said. “It gave me skills that I am able to use for the rest of my career and also allowed me to get relevant work experience early in my career.”
“It was a great experience commuting into the city and meeting so many people in such a short amount of time. Drew is one of the few schools in the country where you can do something like this and was a big reason why I came here.”
Cacoilo credits Drew with preparing him with the essential skills needed to find, acquire, and succeed in his internships. “I have learned technical skills, both in and out of the classroom,” he said. “Professor Firestone [associate teaching professor of finance and associate chair of business] showed me the vast amount of tools that I have access to as a student at Drew. I was able to immerse myself in classes led by former professionals in the industry. They were able to give real-life advice and show me how the skills I learned from these classes will be able to benefit my career further down the road.”
At Drew, Cacoilo is a member of The Fund, a student-run market portfolio, where he gained both technical skills in market research and financial writing, as well as experience in soft skills, including teamwork and presenting. “In The Fund, I was able to learn from many mentors about what it takes to begin a successful career in finance, and how I can sharpen the skills that the industry requires,” he said.
After graduation, Cacoilo plans to earn his Master of Science in Finance through Drew’s 4+1 Dual-Degree program. He hopes to find an initial career path in asset management, sales and trading, or investment banking, which will provide great industry experience. Eventually, Cacoilo plans to earn his MBA and aspires to finish his career working in private equity or commercial real estate.
