In early December we published the first Breakout Room podcast describing the Classroom to Boardroom program held this summer under the steerage of Derek Browne and Mitesh Sheth. To recall, the program was devised as a way to tackle under-representation of black talent in the investment industry. It was designed as a way for executives to “get out of their echo chamber” and hear directly from black youth about their perspectives, challenges they might face and maybe even identify talent.

In that first Breakout Room we heard from the executives from the asset management industry and now we want to hear from the students themselves. This past Spring and Summer (2020) had a number of what Derek describes as “hard stops” in the education of some of these students as schools closed and exams were cancelled. Against this backdrop the program took on an additional value – providing a validating assessment experience in what had unexpectedly become an assessment vacuum. This ability to connect with peers and professionals as well as to get actionable and meaningful feedback on real-life assignments was even more powerful as a result.