Student spotlight: Laura Dominguez
The Warrington College of Business is full of standout alumni and students. No matter their program or major, their time on campus plays an important role in preparing for impactful careers. This series will feature exceptional people from across Warrington.
Learn more about what makes Laura Dominguez, a student in the Master of Science in Finance program, a standout student at the Warrington College of Business.
Q: What is your degree program and when will you graduate?
Dominguez: “I am a student in the Master of Science of Finance Program at UF, so I will be graduating with my Bachelor’s in Finance this fall, and just a semester later, graduating with my Master’s in Finance in spring 2021.”
Q: Where are you from originally?
“I am originally from Miami, Fla.”
Q: Are you in any student organizations? Do you hold any board positions?
Dominguez: “I am the Co-President of Diversity in Banking and Securities, an organization aimed at helping bring diversity to Wall Street by giving Gators of all backgrounds the necessary means and resources to excel in banking. Last year, I was part of the Executive Board that founded the organization on campus and being able to see the difference it made for so many students inspired me to take on this position and further shape the culture of future bankers at UF. I am also on the Advisory Board of the Florida Leadership Academy after having been a mentee my sophomore year and a mentor my junior year.”
Q: When did you know you wanted to pursue a degree at Warrington, and why was it an interesting option for you?
Dominguez: “With two parents in dentistry and no exposure to the financial industry, I began college on the pre-dental track. During my first semester, for the sake of furthering my involvement and meeting people in my residence hall, I joined the Area Government of my dorm as the Business Manager. As I was responsible for the allocation of funds and tracking finances, I began to realize my passions might be better suited for a business degree and switched over to Warrington. At that point, my interest in finance was only realized by actively seeking presentations, organizations, mentors and other students within the major, eventually leading me to pursue a combination degree as my fascination with the subject only grew.”
Q: What’s the highlight of your time at Warrington?
Dominguez: “The highlight of my time at Warrington has undoubtedly been my mentor role in the Florida Leadership Academy. As a sophomore, I was applying for MSF, trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my degree and which firms I wanted to pursue and navigating some of the tougher classes in the business school. Through this challenging time in my academic career, I remember receiving so much guidance from my own mentors and even other mentors within the program. This network and everyone’s willingness to help one another inspired me to give back the following year as a mentor and I could not have had a more fulfilling experience. Being able to help students interested in similar career paths and give them the advice I was given along with the knowledge acquired from my own failures was a perfect example of the circular nature of mentorship within the business school.”
Q: What are your plans for after graduation?
Dominguez: “After graduation, I will be joining Citi Private Bank as a Full-Time Analyst in New York City. The program allows for four rotations within the bank before choosing a more permanent role; so while I have no set plans for where I will end up within the Private Bank, this summer has opened my eyes to definite areas of interest. I intend on rotating with the Investment Finance Group due to my interest in Art Financing after working with the team on both the art advisory side and art lending side. I also hope to rotate with Global Investment Lab after realizing a passion for investing with purpose: a Citi initiative for sustainable investing and allocating portfolios to support ESG investing.”
Q: What can we find you doing after class or on the weekend?
Dominguez: “I have always loved being outside and in nature, so I love taking long walks and jogs, collecting bouquets of flowers for my apartment and for friends, or just spending time in the sun. I also love being surrounded by people and meeting new ones, so I can be found going out on the town, Florida-trotting when school permits or trying a foreign, new hobby when the opportunity presents itself.”
Q: What’s a fact about you that might surprise other people?
Dominguez: “I didn’t own a laptop until this summer because my internship required it. It turns out, an iPad really can do everything a computer can…with a few exceptions in Excel.”
Q: If you had $1 million, what would you do with it?
Dominguez: “If I had $1 million, after learning extensively about sustainable investing this summer, I would probably invest it into a carbon-footprint focused portfolio until I decide exactly how I want to allocate it.”
