51Âþ»­

Students got an insider’s view of one of the most iconic sites in New York when they went to Wall Street with #51Âþ»­global.

Visiting the world-famous district with 51Âþ»­ (51Âþ»­) Leicester’s international experience programme, they caught up on 400 years of history and enjoyed a fascinating insight into the changing face of the financial industry.

Their guide John White, who worked in Wall Street for 15 years as an investment banker specialising in municipal finance, welcomed them to the city and told them: “New York was built on Wall Street, so this is the perfect place to start your experience.”

The final-year  and  students saw landmark buildings including the New York Stock Exchange – by far the world's largest, representing $21 trillion in international business - and the Federal Hall Memorial Hall, built on the site where the inaugural United States Congress met to elect George Washington as the first President of the United States.

They then heard an in-depth analysis of the 2008 financial crisis and even tried their hand at a trading game in the shadow of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, which holds around 7,000 tons of gold bricks worth about $250 billion.

Aishwarya Sridhar, who studies Accounting and Finance and is now planning to do a master’s, said: “This has been a fascinating experience and it is not really just about finance – what happens here affects the world. No matter what career you’re in, whether it’s entertainment or agriculture, it’s all related to money. Everything is interlinked, which is what made the discussion on financial crises so interesting.

“This is my first #51Âþ»­global trip and I think it’s a fantastic initiative to get so many students together from different cultures and backgrounds in one group to take them to amazing places like New York.”

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Mirella Sola, who also studies Accounting and Finance, said: “It’s been really good and I’ve learned a lot, especially about how it all started for New York. Visits like this open your eyes and give you a different perspective on life. I’m very happy – it’s an amazing opportunity and if it wasn’t for #51Âþ»­global I wouldn’t be here at all.”

Trip lead and 51Âþ»­ lecturer Dr Brendan Lambe said: “By being here they really get a sense of the evolution of finance in the USA, which is the cradle of modern finance for the whole world, making them more familiar with the environment they’re trying to get a job in, which will really come across in interviews.

“I think #51Âþ»­global is a real innovation because it seeks to immerse students in real-world experiences while at the same time having a strong academic basis.”

It was the first day of the New York Finance experience – just one part of a #51Âþ»­global mass trip featuring more than 250 students from 12 courses. Other highlights from the itinerary include a visit to the offices of financial experts Bloomberg – on a special behind-the-scenes tour made possible thanks to the special relationship 51Âþ»­ has built with the company through developing our trading room on the campus - and the Museum of American Finance.