Three LSU finance seniors now have something in common with Jordin Sparks, the New York Yankees and John Cena: They have all rung the ceremonial bell at Wall Street’s New York Stock Exchange, which signifies the start and end of each day’s trading.
Madison Nixon, Daniel Wendt and Christian Vardaman were among a dozen students selected from across the country to ring the NYSE closing bell this summer after winning the TD Ameritrade Institutional’s NextGen scholarship. The award included a $5,000 scholarship, a trip to New York City and a tour of the stock exchange.
The high point of the experience came on July 22 when the winners joined Tom Nally, president of TD Ameritrade Institutional, on the balcony of the stock exchange where the bell rests. The three students stood next to Nally as he banged the gavel and rang the bell.
“I ended up really close to [Nally] while we were clapping,” Nixon said. “I almost got hit with the gavel.”
When stepping up to ring the bell, the students were advised to fight for the front, Nixon said. Even though Vardaman and Wendt are taller, they still elbowed their way through the other scholarship winners to make it on camera.
“I was on my absolute tippy-toes,” Vardaman said. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I don’t want to be behind someone’s head.”
TD Ameritrade provides investing, trading and custodial services for independent financial advisers, according to its website. The company provides services for almost 6 million clients and handles about $600 billion in assets.
The three students are part of the E.J. Ourso College of Business’ Certified Financial Planner program, which prepares students for careers in financial planning, Vardaman said. After completing the program, students are able to take the CFP certification exam.
All three plan to take the CFP exam. Wendt will return to the CFP program as a graduate assistant next year. Nixon said she hopes to work at Merrill Lynch, where she currently has an internship. Vardaman interned at Wells Fargo over the summer.
The typical professional route after passing the exam is to join a junior partner practice to gain experience before becoming a full-fledged adviser, Vardaman said.
“You’re dealing with people’s entire life savings,” Vardaman said. “It’s hard to be 23 years old and say ‘Hey, Dr. So-and-so, let me take care of all your money.’”
While in New York, the students stayed at the Millenium Hilton, near the site of the former World Trade Center. They strolled through Central Park, toured the Financial District and stopped by the Charging Bull on Wall Street.
Wendt stayed in New York several days after the TD Ameritrade festivities ended. He got tickets to the musical “Les Misérables,” visited the Statue of Liberty and went to the top of the World Trade Center.