By Kristen Santer
Matthew Ly proves the potential that Gabelli students have to make a difference in people’s lives, using their knowledge for others. (Matthew Ly/ The Fordham Ram).
Matthew Ly is a finance major and economics minor currently finishing up his junior year in the Gabelli School of Business. He hopes to enter into asset management after he graduates and has just accepted a prestigious summer internship in the industry at Borland Capital Group. Right now, he interns at a non-profit called South Bronx United, which helps underprivileged youth.
Matt chose to work at South Bronx United because he agrees with its mission and believes helping underprivileged children and teenagers is very important in today’s society. Although he is currently an economics minor, he first wanted to pursue a peace and social justice minor.
However, when he discovered that he did not have enough time in his schedule, Matt decided to pursue an economics minor because it would allow him to take a lot of classes that he would have taken as a peace and social justice minor.
“It’s important for people to understand hardships that communities experience,” said Ly. He was able to experience this during his semester abroad in London last year. Matt said that he found it very enlightening to experience cultures that differ from the United States. Getting out of his comfort zone is very important to Matt, which explains his love for asset management. Matt wants to enter asset management because he loves the risks and rewards of it and believes that the industry is exciting.
This thrill-seeking attitude probably stems from his adventurous childhood. One experience from his childhood that stands out is when he was held up at gunpoint at age 16. He stated that if you look at his high school grade point average before and after the event, it went up five points. Although it sounds stereotypical, it was a life-changing event for Matt that made him re-evaluate himself and his responsibilities.
Matt wishes he had the chance to pick up an English minor. When asked about his writing abilities, he allowed himself to brag a little bit, but also conceded that he wants to get better and has a long way to go.
“Writing is as important as math or economics in the business world,” said Ly. He and another student, Alex Nguyen GSB ’17, wrote an opinion piece last year for The Fordham Ram entitled “Fordham Finance Majors Should Use Their Degrees to Make a Difference,” which illustrated his desire for other Gabelli students to help their communities by utilizing their business acumen.
