My path into finance didn't start with stock charts or investment textbooks.

It started at a fashion event in New York City.

I had originally planned to study fashion design. I loved the creativity, the storytelling, and the culture around fashion. At the time, I imagined my future somewhere inside that industry—designing, producing, or contributing to the world of fashion.

But everything shifted the night I attended the grand opening of Prabal Gurung's flagship store in New York.

It was my first real exposure to the professional fashion world. The room was full of designers, stylists, brand executives, investors, and industry insiders. I remember listening to conversations about collections, brand growth, and the business side of fashion.

And that's when something clicked.

The Realization: Fashion Is Also Finance

Before that event, I had misunderstood what it meant to study fashion.

I thought the industry revolved mostly around creativity and design. But after speaking with seasoned professionals that night, I realized something important:

Fashion is one of the largest global industries in the world, and it runs on capital.

  • Launching collections requires funding.
  • Producing garments requires supply chains.
  • Retail expansion requires investment.
  • Global brands rely on complex financial planning.

Behind every runway show is an enormous financial system.

And something else stood out to me.

Many of the professionals who loved fashion the most—the ones attending events, supporting brands, and engaging deeply with the industry—were actually finance professionals.

They were investors, analysts, and executives whose work helped fund and sustain the industry.

That realization changed how I saw my own future.

COVID-19 and a Turning Point

Not long after that event, the world changed.

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted nearly every industry, including fashion. Global supply chains froze, retail stores closed, and businesses everywhere were forced to rethink how they operated.

For me, that moment became an opportunity to rethink my own direction.

Instead of pursuing fashion design directly, I began exploring the financial systems that power industries like fashion.

  • How companies raise capital.
  • How markets allocate resources.
  • How businesses expand globally.

Finance suddenly felt like the framework connecting everything I was curious about.

My First Step Into Finance

By 2021, I secured my first internship at JPMorgan Private Bank in Dallas as an Investment, Wealth, and Asset Management intern.

It was my first real experience inside the financial world.

Private banking introduced me to how wealth is managed, how portfolios are constructed, and how financial institutions advise clients on long-term strategies.

I began to see finance not just as theory, but as a system that shapes real decisions and real outcomes.

Expanding My Perspective

A couple of years later, I transferred to Brooklyn College to formally study finance.

By the summer of 2023, I landed another major opportunity—an internship with EY in International Tax and Transaction Services (ITTS). This specialized practice advises corporate and private equity clients on the tax aspects of cross-border deals and operations, focusing on three main pillars: Transaction Tax Advisory for M&A, International Corporate Tax Advisory, and Transfer Pricing.

Working in ITTS broadened my understanding dramatically. Instead of focusing on individual portfolios like at JPMorgan, I began learning about the complex tax and financial structures behind global transactions. I was exposed to:

  • Multinational corporations navigating cross-border operations
  • Private equity firms structuring acquisitions
  • The intricate tax implications of international deals
  • Strategic financial decisions made by large organizations

It showed me how interconnected the global economy really is, and how deeply finance and tax strategy are intertwined.

Finding My Place in Finance

Since that first fashion event, my journey through finance has been about discovering where my curiosity fits inside this enormous field.

Finance touches everything:

  • Global trade
  • Technology
  • Insurance markets
  • Capital allocation
  • Economic development

And the more I learn, the more I realize that finance is not just about money.

It's about understanding the systems that move the world forward.