Wall Street Intership Meetup

Peter Texter

Villanova Wall Street Meetup: Exploring Summer 2026 Internships

19 November 2024

Earlier this semester, I attended a professional development meetup that explored both the Bank of America and BMO Capital Markets internship opportunities for the 2026 summer. Since you weren’t able to make it, let me give you a quick rundown. Both companies offered insights into the world of finance and especially investment banking, which I currently want to pursue after college. Whether or not you’re interested in a career on Wall Street or pursuing these opportunities, this panel highlighted many very important lessons about networking, skill-building, and developing into a professional.

At the Bank of America panel, speaker Hamza Guennoun, a Director in Equities, and Noah Winton, who works in High-Yield Trading, explained some of the main focuses of their job, especially equities and fixed income trades. They also emphasized the importance of having a quant background, as data analytics is becoming an increasingly large part of trading and investment decisions.

Their advice for students interested in applying for internships was surprising. Guennoun  stated that when reviewing applications, he does not particularly care about GPA past a certain point. Instead, Bank of America emphasized networking extremely heavily. Making multiple calls a day, every day, is necessary to obtain that extra advantage needed to secure an internship there. Recognizing names and having connections with applicants are usually the most important deciding factors when the Bank of America employees decide who gets the opportunity.

Following the Bank of America panel, the BMO Capital Markets group presented. Led by Ben Smelas, an Analyst in Investment banking, Jake Daridis, an Associate they focused more specifically on financial investment and banking. I especially liked how they highlighted all the different industries that they work in, as seen below. BMO also highlighted its ethical practices and commitment to diversity, and also their upward mobility opportunities not commonly seen in the professional world.

I was impressed by BMO’s focus on mental health and well-being, which they heavily emphasize in their work culture. Unlike the stereotypical image of investment banking as a high-stress, cutthroat environment, BMO demonstrated how supporting employees fosters long-term success.

For those exploring career paths, BMO is worth considering. You can learn more about their culture and opportunities at https://vault.com/company-profiles/commercial-banking-and-investment-banking/bmo-capital-markets

Both businesses highlighted not only the importance of the technical skills needed to work on Wall Street, but also the social skills that secure these highly competitiveness internships. By securing these investments during college, it makes transferring to a full-time job post-graduation a million times easier.